


Pure

by onotherflights



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, BDSM, Bottom Luke, Casual Sex, Dirty Talk, Dom Calum, Light BDSM, M/M, Multi, Naked Cuddling, Oh god where do I even start, Overstimulation, Rimming, Spooning, Sub Luke, Subspace, Teasing/banter, Top Calum, finger sucking kink, luke is calum's baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 02:48:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8384308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onotherflights/pseuds/onotherflights
Summary: Puppet on a string, I can't control myself, can't control myself with you. I crawl out of my skin, things I'll tell no one else, things I'll show no one else but you. Take my pure, and wash it all away, wash it all away till I'm cured, take my pure.  
 Calum was supposed to be a one night stand for Luke to end his dry spell, but it doesn't go as planned.  [continuation of "Guys My Age"]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ***IMPORTANT***  
>  This is the unofficially official spin-off to "Guys My Age". I don't think anyone is surprised, it didn't take a lot of convincing for me to continue this verse. I'm excited for what's to come, but if you didn't read Guys My Age, please read that first or some of this will not be in context. It's linked above so enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Again I want to thank narryfavoritejiall for requesting the initial prompt. This is just ridiculous and way more than you asked for, but I hope you like it.  
>  
> 
>  
> 
> As for everyone else who wanted this, thanks for asking for it because if you hadn't this would live in my notes forever. More rambling/info at the end but thank you so much <3

 

Luke woke up warm. 

It wasn't like waking up at home. His room was tiny and drafty, and even with two comforters he never seemed to wake up sufficiently warmed. Ashton was smart to pick the room with big windows, the morning sun warmed his bed every day. Sometimes Luke would go in there after Ashton was off to work, and just curl up like a cat, soaking up the new rays.

This morning though, he didn't want to move an inch. He could feel Calum's arm a dead weight over his waist, and his head was still nestled under his chin. Luke stayed just where he was, not wanting to wake the older man. 

In a way, it felt like he'd woken up from a dream. It was so cheesy to think that way, and he'd never admit it out loud, but it was true nonetheless. 

He just soaked in the moment, thinking in the very back of his mind that it was all too good to be true. Something would surely happen, he wouldn't be able to wake up this happy for the rest of his life. It was impossible.

But, in that moment, it was real. Luke felt _amazing._ Sure, he was a little sore, but if he didn't move he didn't feel it. What he could feel was Calum's steady heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest and his soft breath against Luke's messy hair.

After waiting a few minutes, he could feel Calum's fingers twitch and then slowly rub circles into his back. He looked up and to meet soft brown eyes waiting for him.

“Hey.” He whispered, almost regretfully. It was like the second one of them spoke, the sun would go back into action and the minutes would pass faster. And Luke didn't want to waste a single one of those minutes. 

Calum was only able to smile sleepily before Luke was reaching up, pulling him in. 

The kiss was warm, and Calum's bare skin was warm, and Luke just wanted to stay in all of this _warmth_ and _safety_ forever. It wasn't lost on Luke that he had never felt this way around anyone else. He tried not to read too much into it.

“I do believe you made me a promise.” Luke murmured, and Calum smirked against his mouth.

“Oh yeah?” He hummed, running his hand down Luke's side, resting it on top of his hip. He pressed his thumb down lightly over soft bruises found there that looked like purple flower petals. He caught Luke's gasp against his tongue. “And just what did I promise you, Angel?” 

Luke looks at Calum, thinking he forgot all about it. Or maybe he was just saying it to make Luke feel like there was hope for more. Maybe he just didn't want to anymore, but maybe the newness of Luke had worn off and that was why- 

“C’mon baby, say it.” He said, and his rough morning voice was definitely something Luke could get used to. 

“You said that you would. . .” Luke trailed off, a bit embarrassed. After everything, he was still shy. It was just, he'd only had that done to him once before, and it was a lot more sloppy and seedy than it was enjoyable. He had a strong feeling Calum knew what he was doing and it would be very different, but he still hesitated on the words. 

Calum slid his hand down from his hip, around to where he was still sensitive from the night before. Luke whined when he touched him, his eyes not leaving Calum's. 

“You want me to kiss you here? Where I was inside you?”

Luke let out a huff of air he hadn't known he was holding and nodded. “It's just. I, I mean -” 

He could feel the flush on his chest.

“Don't be embarrassed, baby.” Calum soothed, taking his hand away to rest it back on Luke's hip.

“‘M not,” Luke replied stubbornly. “It's just, the last time - really the first time someone did that, it didn't feel good.” 

Calum rubbed circles over his hips and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss onto his forehead. “It should always feel good.” He murmured. 

“It's alright, we don't have to -” he tries, but Luke quickly cuts him off. 

“No, I want you to. I really, _really_ want you to. It's just, i don't know what to do.”  

Calum laughed lightly, nipping Luke's pouty lower lip. “All you have to do is lay there. I'll do the rest. I told you I'll take care of you, remember?” 

Luke nodded, closing his eyes and kissing Calum again. Calum's kisses slowly traveled down his jaw, his neck, tickling against his bare tummy.

“Would be easier if you turned over, if your thighs are too sore to hold you up.” Calum murmured against his hip. He laughed softly when Luke immediately turned over without question. He knew even if his thighs weren't sore from riding Calum the night before, he definitely wouldn't have the control to hold himself up, and he wasn't sure if he was quite ready to just casually sit on Calum's face. 

Luke could feel him kissing down his spine. Calum must have really liked how his skin tasted, in a non-creepy way (hopefully). It was like he wanted to kiss every inch of him.

When he got down to his tailbone, his kisses stopped. Then he felt his hands, splitting his inner thighs. Luke let it happen, spreading his legs and sticking his ass up. He was on his elbows, staring at the headboard in anticipation.

Calum gripped Luke's cheeks and pulled them apart, and no sooner was he flattening his tongue and licking a thick stripe from his taint back to his tailbone. 

“Oh, fuck.” Luke mumbled brokenly. Calum didn't give him a break as he started outlining his hole with his tongue, literally rimming him, before starting quick kitten licks. Luke whined, and couldn't control pushing his hips back, Calum's thumbs digging in deeper to his sensitive skin as he held him open. 

Soon enough, Calum had his tongue inside, slowing down and taking his time to feel Luke's walls. He groaned low, also losing control of himself, and the vibrations only made Luke cry out. He gripped the pillow that was still warm from sleeping and gripped onto it, trying not to totally lose his head. The thing was that it felt so _good_ , like everything Calum had done to him. He didn't think he'd ever been pleasured this much in less than twenty-four hours.  

Luke could feel himself slipping off the edge, towards the point where he wouldn't be able to control himself and he'd be a whimpering mess. Calum was the only person who could get him there so fast, and it was a bit embarrassing. It wasn't helping that Calum was groaning and makes frankly explicit noises with his tongue, like he was enjoying this as much as Luke did. It only spurred Luke on even more. He pulled the pillow closer to try and stifle his noises, the sounds of his moans muffled as he buried his face in the pillow. 

Just as the older man heard that though, he stilled his movements, hot breath hovering over Luke's hole.

“Don't stop, please.” Luke turned his head over his shoulder and _fuck_ was that a mistake. Calum was looking straight at him, his eyes up but his head low, like he could give Luke what he wanted at any moment without warning, but he was holding it.  

Then, his face softened. He closed his eyes, gently planting a kiss on Luke's left cheek, his thumb rubbing over the spot. He was still red there. “Don't try and be quiet about it then. Want to hear you.” 

“But your neighbors,” Luke whined softly. “They'll hear me too.”

Calum smirked, opening his eyes again and rubbing his thumb over Luke's rim, pushing against it slightly. It had Luke biting down hard on his bottom lip. “You weren't worried about that last night.” 

Luke flushed, his head flopping down against the pillow to hide his face. He wouldn't be able to live if he went downstairs to the car and someone passed by and gave him a knowing look. Fleetingly, he wondered if that had happened to anyone else, and then he wondered how many guys Calum had done this to, as he certainly knew what he was doing. 

He didn't have time to dwell on it though, because the moment he raised his head Calum was back to work, relentlessly fucking his tongue inside and then pausing to give slow licks. 

It didn't take long for Luke to fly off that edge, moaning and cursing and praising with reckless abandon. He was past the point of sanity, but he still hadn't come yet. He thought about rutting his hips and getting himself off, but he also knew his time with Calum was running short, and he wanted to get everything out of this that he could. Calum had added his middle finger alongside his tongue, and Luke cursed and gripped the pillow when he curved his finger with practiced ease, rubbing teasingly over the spot. Luke wanted to punch him in the face and then kiss him, but first he needed something else. 

“Stop,” he mumbled, a little quiet but the second Calum heard it he pulled away, “want you to fuck me again.” 

Calum sighed a heavy breath, burying his face in the dip of Luke's back. “You're probably really sore, I don't want to hurt you.”

“M’fine,” Luke muttered, looking back over his shoulder pleadingly. “Please Cal,I need it.”

Calum groaned, and rubbed his head against Luke's spine, trying to wipe those sweet doe eyes out of his head. He mumbled again that Luke really would be the death of him, and reached over to the nightstand to grab the lube. 

Luke smiled, nearly _giggled_ , with happiness. 

Calum made quick work about it, coating two fingers with the liquid and warming them for a moment before sinking them inside of Luke, making him hum contently. It didn't take very much to make sure he was ready, his hole was still stretched from the night before. Calum couldn't believe he was giving in to this, but he reasoned with himself that he would be gentle and it wouldn't take very much at all to make Luke come at this point. He didn't let himself think that maybe he was getting just as addicted to being inside Luke, in any capacity, as Luke was with having him here.

Calum told Luke to get on his side as lean up on one elbow, so he followed commands while the older man got another condom and slipped it on, rubbing lube over himself. He cuddled behind Luke, his chest pressed against the blonde boy’s back as he held his thigh at an angle, and lined up. 

“Tell me if you need a break, yeah?” Calum murmured, kissing the nape of Luke's neck affectionately. Luke just nodded wordlessly. 

Calum pressed in slow, relishing in the soft gasps and breaks that Luke made until he bottomed out. Luke whimpered when Calum moved too soon, and it wasn't his usual whimper, it sounded like he was hurting. Calum knew this wasn't a good idea, but Luke was _hard_ , his cock flushed and stiff and leaking against his tummy. Calum stilled inside him, pressing kisses of comfort on his neck behind his ear.  

“You taste so _fucking_ good, you know.” He remarked casually, his hand resting over Luke's tummy, the other tucked under Luke's head. “Could have made you come on my tongue if you had let me.”

Luke smirked, closing his eyes in distracted bliss as Calum slowly started to move again. “Thought i didn't control you.” 

Calum bit his shoulder in retaliation. Luke laughed easily, but it bled into a pleased hum when Calum rolled his hips, fucking into Luke slowly but deep.

Calum held him like that as the minutes ticked by slowly, as of time itself had slowed down to match their pace. The morning light was still streaming in, warming what parts of them weren't covered by the blankets. It had grown quiet as Luke was close, just shaky breaths and soft, encouraging kisses along his skin.   

All of a sudden, Luke was really overcome with emotion. Maybe it was because Calum had just wrapped his hand around his cock and was twisting his wrist _just_ so, but he felt his body physically react to the moment.

Luke felt _warm_. His muscles relaxed completely and he slumped against Calum, eyes closing in bliss as he craned his neck against Calum's chest. He was deep into that space now, completely unable to make noise as Calum rolled his hips with the perfect rhythm. 

Luke bucked up into Calum's fist just slightly, but he didn't even realize he was doing that. What he did consciously do was search out Calum's free hand, clutching his fingers before Calum could intertwine them. 

Calum wasn't quite sure what Luke was up to until he had taken Calum's index and middle fingers into his mouth, his tongue licking over them and sucking them into his mouth lushly, moaning quietly around them.

“Fuck, baby.” Calum murmured, half in awe. Luke was so unbelievably beautiful, his eyes closed and his eyelashes daintily resting on his cheeks. The soft pink of his lips wrapped around Calum's fingers matching the pink flush on his chest and neck as he clenched around Calum's cock, taking him in so well now.

Luke's body stilled, and he was in such a high, blissful headspace he didn't even realize he was coming until Calum's hand had stopped and his voice was soft and _warm_ in Luke's ear, praising him.

 Luke was unaware how much longer Calum was inside him until he finished too, because he was totally dazed. He didn't let go of Calum's fingers until he pulled them away along with his lower half, and Luke whimpered at the loss but was quickly comforted as Calum rolled back over a moment later and resumed their spooning position, throwing an arm securely over Luke's waist. He didn't even care that Calum lazily wiped his hand against Luke's hip, because he was already falling asleep by that time.

  
  
  


Two hours later, Luke woke up to the smell of bacon and was very confused. It was half past ten, as he found when he checked his phone. It was at two percent, so he stole Calum's charger and plugged it in so that he could read Ashton's morning text. 

_Good morning. If you ever stop getting dicked down we’ll see you back home._  

He also had a missed call from his mum, but they both would have to wait, and hear completely different versions of what Luke had been up to. His mum would hear that he gone on a lovely date and then been dropped off back home to end the night watching Netflix alone. Ashton would get the truth.

Before that could happen, Luke needed to investigate the bacon smell.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got right up, instantly regretting it. It was kind of like doing a bunch of shots and then sitting for a while, thinking he was totally fine, and _then_. Then trying to stand straight becomes a lot harder than it had been before.

Ashton had once said then when Luke was really  wasted he looked like Bambi learning to walk. It wasn't much better now, and he was completely sober. 

He managed to fix himself and steal more from Calum's room, this time a pair of sweats. He creeped out of the bedroom towards the smell in the kitchen, and was pleasantly surprised to see Calum standing naked in front of the stove. Probably not the smartest idea, but Luke loved the view.

“Hey babe, was about to wake you up.” Calum quipped when he saw Luke round the corner and lean against the countertop. He flipped gas on the stove off and walked over, leaning against the counter with his hands and dipping in for a kiss.

Luke kissed him softly, smiling at the way he tasted like mint and smelled like coconut oil. His black hair was damp against his forehead, and he just had a fresh glow from the shower.

“Oh god, I probably smell like death. I feel grungy.” Luke muttered, even though Calum was kissing over his shoulder where there was still a bite mark. 

Calum shook his head in disagreement, planting another kiss on his jawline. “Go shower, everything you need is in there. You can even steal a shirt, too.”

Luke smirked and wobbled his way back, and he didn't miss Calum trying to contain his smug laughter.

The hot shower definitely helped, and Luke found the coconut oil shampoo that Calum used and washed his hair with it as well. Once he was done in there, he found an unopened toothbrush in a drawer and threw away the packaging, humming and only slightly snooping as he dried off and brushed his teeth. The only interesting thing he found was that Calum had a spare box of condoms under his sink, one of those bulk boxes. He eyed it enviously, like it represented whoever else Calum had slept with and used them on. At least he used them, Luke supposed. He had no reason to be jealous, he reminded himself that Calum wasn't his boyfriend even though they had been shockingly intimate in the short amount of time they had spent together. To be fair though, Luke was dick drunk for the majority of it so he really couldn't control how needy he was.

Once he had finished up with that, he walked back into the bedroom and opened a drawer from the dresser where he'd found the sweatpants. Finding those were easy, they were sticking out. But the shirt drawer was impossible, everything was the same shade of black. He picked one, simple black but with the word “evolve” running vertically down the back spine in a sleek white font. 

He shrugged and slipped it on, pleased to find it was an oversize fit and he practically swam in it. He glanced at himself in the mirror, smiling softly. Then he rushed off for food before he could think too long about how content he was. 

Calum was sitting on one of the bar stools when he returned, his plate untouched next to him as he clicked away on his laptop.

He closed it a moment after Luke sat down, only letting Luke linger on the screen for a moment. 

“Sorry to interrupt.” He murmured, pulling his own plate towards him.

“No worries,” Calum shrugged, “Just work stuff, emails, boring.”

Luke wanted to ask what Calum did for a living, but he didn't want to pry. That seemed like something friends and significant others would know, not, well, whatever it is they were. Luke didn't know if this was a one time stand, well a one and a half really. He just ate his pancakes and bacon, and thanked all the goodness above that Calum was the type of person who put the bacon inside the pancakes.

Before Luke knew it, he was collecting his discarded clothes and slipping on his shoes. It was around that time that the glitter had set and he realized that maybe this was just a normal one night stand. It wasn't that Calum was acting cold or anything, he just seemed distracted as he and Luke made their way towards the elevator. Luke was awkwardly holding his clothes, so they didn't hold hands like they had the day before.

Surprisingly, none of the neighbors that crowded the central garden were around in the late-morning, only some birds and sprinklers making an annoying _ch-ch-cht_ as they spritzed over the flowers.

Luke was definitely feeling a little sad to be going home. It was an amazing time, but it was over now. He wasn't a kid, he knew how this worked. 

He sat back down in the fancy passenger seat of Calum's fancy car. Calum turned on the radio, and rested his hand on Luke's inner thigh. It made him smile softly, remembering how his heart had been pounding when it had first happened. Luke felt better now, like he'd gotten what he wanted from the whole thing. He was content, warm, and definitely sated.

The hour ride wasn't tense, they relaxed and sang along to the radio, Calum tapping the beat against Luke's thigh. When they hit a pothole and Luke cursed under his breath, Calum looked genuinely concerned and asked if he was okay.

Calum was a good guy, but there was no promise that he would ever see Luke again. By the time they were riding along the long street that lead to Luke's apartment building, Luke was filled with confusion. Should he ask to see him again? Ask for his number? Luke was kind of clueless. All of Luke's previous relationships had been planned out, they dated for a bit and then had monogamous, repetitive, average sex. But with Calum they'd barely had a date and then had amazing, mind-altering sex. Twice. How was he supposed to act cool about that? Not that Calum hadn't already seen him totally lose his cool. Damn sex goggles. 

When it came down to it and Calum was parked, all Luke could come up with was,

“Do you want your shirt back?”

Calum looked at him with a soft smile, but his brown eyes looked sad. “No, you keep it. It looks better on you.”

Luke just shook his head smirking, but while he was looking down Calum tilted his chin up and captured him in a kiss. He was still for a moment, a bit surprised, but quickly melted into it, wrapping his arms lightly around Calum's neck.

He chased him when Calum started to pull away, just for a moment. Then he got a hold of himself and let their lips part, and he was looking back down again. He couldn't really look at Calum.

“Take care of yourself, Luke.” Calum said solemnly. Luke nodded in understanding and then popped his head up, giving him the fakest of smiles.

“I will,” Luke promised, sincerely not meaning it. “You do to.”

It felt scripted, like the words were coming out of both of them like robots. What did they even mean? How could Luke take care of himself when Calum had done it so well?

With one last kiss, Luke had the strength to open the door of the fancy matte black Audi, very carefully. He climbed out, taking his things with him and closing the door, walking away with just a short wave over his shoulder.

He turned off his overactive brain, solely focusing on making his way to his apartment without anyone he knew seeing his walk of shame. It was pretty obvious, he was walking side to side and carrying his clothes.

Luke made it to the stairway, and looked up at the flights he'd have to take with a long-suffering sigh. He looked behind him at the rickety, unpredictable elevator. Its button was always flashing that it needed to be checked, no matter how many times there was a crew working on it, the next day it was the same. It was cursed. Luke had always avoided it except for a few desperate times, and it looked like now was as desperate a time as any. 

He boarded the elevator and hastily pressed the button to his floor, holding on to the safety rail for dear life. By some miracle, he made it up to his floor with minimal shaking and suspicious noises. 

He couldn't be bothered to dig for his key, so he just rang the doorbell annoyingly until Ashton opened the door. He was fresh out the shower, his loose curls damp and towel wrapped around his waist. He had a bowl of cereal in one hand.

“You're alive.” He deadpanned, opening the door to let him through. Luke trudged into the apartment, trying to walk normally, but it didn't work.

“Damn, that good?” He questioned around a mouthful of cereal.

Luke made a beeline for the sofa, letting his sad little set of folded clothes sit on the chair, kicking his shoes off right beside it.

“Well, you look happy, if not really sore. I'm guessing it went well?” Ashton smirked as Luke lazily flopped down on the couch, facing the TV.

Luke hummed contently, pulling a blanket to his shoulders. “I can't even show you my ass right now.”

Ashton’s face dropped a bit, and he placed his bowl of whole wheat cheerios down very seriously.

“Was he too rough? Did he hurt you? Luke I told you to-”

“No mom, he didn't,” Luke cut him off with a huff and a content smile. He flipped on the tv and switched over to netflix. “Let’s say I had a really, _really_ good time.”

“Alright then, if you say so.” Ashton said warily, picking up his cereal bowl.

Luke promised to tell him all the interesting details when he got back from work, and with that Ashton left to finish getting ready. When he came back into the living room, Luke pretended to be asleep, so Ashton just kissed the top of his head and made his way out, locking the door behind him.

Luke was fine. He opened his eyes and watched some mindless sitcom, and he thought about what he would do. He decided he still had other people interested, people who had messaged him back. To be fair, he had only gotten a taste of the whole thing, even though it had been an exceptionally small taste. He craved more, and he knew he could get it easily. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter who it was with, because he'd found what he liked and he was sure other guys could do it for him just as well, maybe even better.

Luke didn't want to be hung up over a person, he'd always done that. What he was doing, what he had done with Calum, it was _just_ sex. He couldn't get attached to someone so quick, not when he could be trying out different things and having fun.

Luke was fine, he was going to meet another guy and have even _more_ amazing, mind-altering sex, like he was trying to beat his high score.

Luke was perfectly happy, Optimistic even. He rested on the sofa and watched the mindless sitcom, cuddled into the blanket to keep him warm in the empty apartment. If he tucked his nose under the collar hem of Calum’s shirt just to breathe in the scent and close his eyes for a moment, no one was around to witness it.

Luke was just _great._

  



	2. Chapter 2

 

A little over a month had passed since Luke had seen Calum.

  
It was a Tuesday morning and Fall had finally set in temperature-wise, so the whole apartment was chilly, not just Luke's room. At least, that's what he wanted to believe when he woke up with a frown already on his face. Eyes still half-shut, he rolled in his comforter until he was wrapped completely and got up from his bed, shuffling grumpily to the other side of the apartment where Ashton's room was. He saw one side of the bed was abandoned, and luckily enough it was the side closest to the window with all the glorious warm sunlight pouring in. Luke quickly laid claim to that side, wrapped up securely in his blanket.

  
At the disturbance, the other body that had been previously fast asleep was now awake, swatting at the intruder.

  
“Luke, fuck off.” Michael grumbled, with no hint of malice in his voice.

  
“‘M cold.” Was Luke's soft murmur of an excuse.

  
Michael had his back to Luke, and seemed to be going back to sleep, but he muttered something else around a yawn.

  
“What will beefy guy say when he comes looking for you and you're in bed with another man?”

  
If Luke was awake enough to roll his eyes, he would have. Instead he just groaned, he'd been on his way to peacefully blocking out the night before from his memory when Michael just had to comment on it.

  
“He left a few hours ago,” Luke yawned in reply, because it was contagious. “At least I didn't have to ask this one to leave, he was practically suffocating me. Big hairy chest.”

  
Luke made a noise of discontent and cuddled into Ashton's pillow. After being reassured there wasn't a stranger in their apartment, Michael turned and threw an arm over Luke's waist.

  
“Night Luke.”

  
“Night Mike.”

  
They muttered to each other, even though it was nine in the morning.

  
When Ashton returned from his morning run, sweaty and ready to jump on top of his boyfriend and wake him with kisses, he wasn't so disappointed to see his side of the bed was occupied. He almost cooed out loud, but he didn't want to wake them. In front of him were the two boys he cared about the most, cuddled up and sleeping soundly. Luke hadn't been himself lately, and no matter how well he knew him Ashton couldn't pin down why, so to see him at peace warmed his heart.

  
Ashton was more or less the mum friend. Someone had to be, Michael was always working and Luke was still a teenager, so he was content to leave things around and eat crap food. So while they slept Ashton changed Luke's sheets and tidied up a bit, then he showered, and by the time he was brushing his teeth Michael had woken up, a sleepy smile on his face when he came into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Ashton's waist, kissing his shoulder in greeting.

  
“We should go get lunch before work.” Michael suggested quietly, and Ashton nodded enthusiastically, his pre-run protein shake completely gone by that time.

  
Luke never stirred from their bed while they moved about the apartment and got dressed. Before heading out the door, Ashton reluctantly went over and shook his shoulder, asking if he wanted to come with them or if they could bring something back. Luke just mumbled a no, so Ashton tucked him back in and left, closing the front door softly behind him.

 

 

 

  
When Luke finally woke up, he knew he was alone for the night, because Ashton texted him that it was going to be a late night, so it would probably be one of the rare nights he stayed at Michael's instead of the other way around. Michael shared a reasonably nice house with his band mates, but they were usually never all there at one time.

  
Luke got up and brought his cocoon of blankets back to his bed, noticing the fresh sheets and smiling softly. He found his phone again as he sat on the end of the bed, and scrolled through his messages.

  
The guy from the night before, “beefy guy” as Michael had called him but his real name was James. . . Or was it Jake?, had texted him. It said he'd had a great time and he wanted to see Luke again. If he went back to his messages, he had a couple other messages that were nearly identical.

  
In frustration, Luke set down his phone. He didn't text any of them back. It had been a month, and he'd had a one night stand practically every week. It was frustrating, because he got the physical release but not the emotional one. If you had asked him a few months ago, he would have said they were one in the same. Unfortunately, Calum Hood had ruined him for life, and now he definitely knew the difference.

  
It turned out that Calum was a lot nicer to him than some of the other “dominants” he had found on the blog page. It wasn't that he felt unsafe or that he was ever forced to do something he didn't want to do, it was just that he got, well, bored. And when whoever he was with noticed that, they tended to get a little aggressive, fuck into him harder, left their mark on his skin. It worked, because Luke did finish, but only if he thought about who had marked him first. He only came when he had a fleeting thought of Calum's voice in his ear, Calum's thumbs pressing bruises into his hips.

  
He was surprised he hadn't screamed out the wrong name yet.

  
Either way, Luke was safe in his denial. It made it easier to go to classes all week, then come home and have a sad shower wank where he definitely did not think about strong arms laced with black ink or the sound of Calum spanking him.

  
On the weekends he let loose, met up with whoever-he-was from the page. He hadn't let all of them inside, sometimes he just got bored before that could even happen, but they were okay as long as he blew them in a bathroom stall. After, it wasn't like he was begging to stay, it was more of a race to see who could get dressed the fastest.

  
Luke thought he was fine, thought he was great, that he just needed one more guy, until he finally realized what his problem was as it literally hit him.

  
It was the last Saturday of the month, and Luke had unfollowed the blog on tumblr, thinking he was done. He had marched into the living room and declared proudly he was going on a dick hiatus, and Michael burst into laughter.

  
“So you start hooking up with people because you're on a dry spell, then have weeks of good times, and decide to go on another self-inflicted dry spell?” Ashton questioned, visibly confused.

  
”Are you over BDSM? Moving on to bears?”

  
Luke had thought about the hair chest of the guys from a few weeks back, James (or Jake). He shuddered, thinking of him groaning on top of him. “No, not bears.” He promised.

  
His friends didn't believe him, but he was determined. If he stopped messing around, surely his heart would tell him what to do.

  
He lasted a week and a half.

  
It wasn't his fault that he ended up at a gay bar with Ashton, he was forced to be there. Ashton had a new client, and since Michael was working he had begged Luke to leave the house and join him.

  
It didn't take very long for Luke to stray from Ashton's line of sight. The music was too loud and he didn't want to feel the pressure of dozens of people grinding against him on the main dance floor. So, he escaped to a side hallway with a beer in hand. It was darker and secluded from the rest of the club, which made it a prime makeout spot as Luke quickly found out.

  
He was on his way to the bathroom, not the first to cross Luke's path on the way. He had jet black hair and he was wearing a mesh shirt, and an earring. With the fuzz settling over him from his beer, Luke thought what he was about to do next was a good idea.

  
“Nice nipples.”

  
The mystery guy turned to look at Luke, an eyebrow arched. He had really nice eyebrows too, Luke thought distractedly. They were pointed at the ends. He didn't seem so bothered by what Luke had crudely blurted out as he did interested.

  
He walked back to Luke, and let his two hands rest against the wall, Luke trapped between his arms. It was like they were in high school and Nipple guy was a jock pressing a cheerleader against her locker.

  
“Nice face,” Nipple guy said. “I'm Ryland.”

  
Luke was sober enough to realize what he was doing as he wrapped his arms around Ryland’s neck and pulled him in. He was fully aware as they kissed that this stranger hadn't asked to kiss him (but he was certainly reciprocating) and Luke hadn't even told him his name. He was sober enough to enjoy his stupidity.

  
The music was pulsing behind the wall, vibrating it as Ryland pressed him against it. When they finally broke apart, Luke took another sip of his beer and tried not to look away from the hungry, dark brown eyes that were roaming all over his body. Ryland broke the eye contact when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly glanced at it but put it back without answering it. He went in for another kiss instead, Luke lazily playing with his hair. It wasn't romantic, people passed right by them to go to the restrooms, and Luke could actually hear flushing sounds if the music had a pause. Ryland tasted like the whiskey Luke's boyfriend-before-last kept on his nightstand.

  
“Was going to meet someone here,” Ryland said, peppering his kisses along Luke's neck while Luke took his final sips of beer. “But fuck them. Wanna go back to mine?”

  
Luke nodded eagerly. Ryland smiled at him and then told him to stay put, that he would be right back, before he walked off to the restroom that he'd been on his way to in the first place.

  
Luke stayed put against the wall, looking out into the crowd. He could see Ashton still sitting at the bar, staring at his phone and looking frustrated. If he was going to ditch, Luke knew he should probably tell Ashton so that he wasn't worried later. He quickly walked over to the bar, looking over his shoulder at the hall to make sure Ryland wasn't back yet.

  
“Ash, I met someone.”

  
Ashton didn't miss a beat, not looking up from his phone as he quipped a reply. “If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that.”

  
“Shut up,” Luke pouted, setting his empty beer bottle on the bar behind Ashton. “I'm leaving with him, just wanted you to know.”

  
Ashton did look up at that, looking annoyed and a bit nervous. “Seriously, already? My new client hasn't even shown up yet, I just texted him and he left me on read-”

  
It was as Ashton rambled on that Luke realized what he'd just done. Nipple guy or Ryland was actually Ashton's new client, and he had just said he was ditching Ashton to go sleep with said client.

  
Only Ashton didn't have to know that's who he was leaving with. It was a pretty shitty thing to do, because it was never good to have the personal and professional too close together. However, to be honest Ashton hadn't learned that very well himself, because he was dating Michael.

  
Rationally, Luke knew that situation was different, that his best friend had fallen in love. He was sober enough to know it was crossing a line, going behind his best friend’s back and purposefully hooking up with his client, even if it was just a one night stand.

  
However, Luke was just on the right side of buzzed and desperately attracted to Ryland that maybe it was worth it. Besides, if all went as planned, no one but the two of them would know.

  
Luke pushed all thoughts aside and cut Ashton off from his ramblings. “Ash, I gotta go. Please, I promise I'll be back home later.”

  
Ashton sighed softly, obviously a little sad that his best friend was already ditching him before the night had even begun. He had been hoping after meeting with his new client and having a few celebratory drinks and small talk that he could leave with Luke and they could bar and club hop around the city, like the good old days when they had both been single. Now it looked like his client was ghosting him, Luke was ditching him, and he would be going home early to an empty apartment.

  
“You're an adult, Luke. You don't need me to give you permission. Go, go do whatever you think you need to do.”

  
Luke just nodded, giving a short wave goodbye and rushing back to the hallway where Ryland was waiting for him on the corner. He kissed him hard and giggled against his neck as he was pulled towards the back door, and soon enough they were in the crisp night air.

  
Back inside the club, Ashton had watched Luke as he left, and tried his best to keep from boiling with rage as his line of sight fell upon who Luke was leaving with. He should have put two and two together, but he never thought it was such a small world. He could tell it was Ryland Jennings, clear as day, with that spiky black hair and his signature smug look on his face. Ashton had only met him a handful of times, which was why he'd invited him out to get to know him, but looking again he thought maybe he knew all he needed to know. As he stared, he saw Ryland was looking right back at him, had seen him talking to Luke, who was currently wrapping himself around Ashton's new client.

  
Just before they left, Ashton could swear that Ryland looked straight at him, and winked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave your comments/thoughts/suggestions :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a project due Friday that I haven't started but this gets an update. What else is new. Enjoy :)
> 
> **warning: this chapter involves Luke/OMC in non-descriptive smut. OMC is also a total jerk and says some mean things to Luke so please be careful while reading.

 

“What's your name anyway, kid?”

  
Luke looked up with wide, innocent eyes. He didn't really know what to do at first, because in order for him to answer, he'd probably have to take Ryland’s dick out of his mouth.

  
They were in his apartment, some minimalistic brick-wall studio that took a quick car ride to get to. Even being quick, the car ride had been all sorts of informative. Ryland had told Luke about how he'd started filming videos in his college dorm room and his “bros” had given him so much shit when they had found his covers on YouTube. Then he went on about how crazy it was that he had gained subscribers so fast, and how in just a year he'd been signed and had a whole team of people preparing him for his first full album.

  
He'd managed to talk calmly about all of this while driving with one hand, the other shoved down Luke's pants.

  
“It's just so wild, all the work it took to get here and people are finally seeing my vision, you know?”

  
Luke just nodded, more focused on the feeling of Ryland’s fist working him over.

  
In the heat of the car ride, to the hasty journey up to his studio apartment, to Luke dropping to his knees the second the door was closed, it might have been going a little fast. So fast, in fact, that Luke didn't realize he hadn't said his name, or anything about himself for that matter, since he saw Ryland.

  
So he slipped his mouth away and smiled up at Ryland sweetly, blue eyes shining.

  
“I'm Luke.”

  
Ryland was looking down at him intensely, his defined jawline pointed to him when he spoke. “Get up, gonna fuck you now.”

  
Luke scrambled to his feet, following Ryland into his bedroom and jumping into his bed playfully. Ryland didn't smile much, he sort of had a resting bitch face, but Luke didn't mind.

  
He did all the right things, kissing his skin all over as he took Luke's clothes off, made sure he was ready. Luke pulled him close when he was finally inside, moaning softly in his ear as Ryland snapped his hips. He was genuinely enjoying it, something that hadn't happened in quite a while. For once he was in the moment, and he didn't have to think about anything, about anyone, else.

  
That was, until Ryland opened his mouth.

  
“Yeah, that's right,” he murmured as Luke closed his eyes. “Keep moaning for me, baby. Say my name.”

  
In the back of his mind, Luke thought it was pretty cringey. If you had to tell someone to say your name during sex, you probably didn't deserve the ego boost. But Luke was turned on and it was feeling good, so he did it, hoping it would please Ryland.

  
It only got worse after that.

  
“Sounds so good,” he said, and Luke thought that was it. He could live with that, the cringe meter was only at mid-level. But then he added, “Should record you and put you on my album, so everyone knows how good I am. Everyone can hear you falling apart from my cock inside you. Fans eat that shit up. They pretend it's them, but you're so lucky, baby. You get this cock tonight, baby boy.”

  
Luke was glad Ryland was kissing his neck, because he wasn't able to see Luke's eyes roll.

  
_Please shut up so I can come. Please, just shut your fucking mouth._

  
Luke thought it, and was very tempted to say it, but instead he just grabbed Ryland's face for a kiss, hoping that would keep him quiet. It worked for a bit, and Luke didn't mind sloppy tongue work if it meant he could have peace and quiet and focus on the sensations he was getting.

  
When they broke apart for air though, Ryland was quick to keep chattering away, not seeming to notice and he was turning Luke off with every word that came out of his mouth.

  
“Feels so good inside you, baby boy.” He praised, and something about that sentence made Luke snap. It broke the spell, and suddenly Luke felt like the wrong tanned, black-haired man was on top of him. It was all wrong, because the words that usually made Luke's heart swell were making him feel cheap and gross, instead of safe and adored. He didn't feel like he was appreciated, he felt like he was just a body that this jerk was using to get off and boost his already overly-inflated ego. Sure he was good, but not that good.

  
“I'm not your baby.” Luke said firmly.

  
Ryland didn't miss a beat or seem bothered by Luke's statement. “Sorry, usually twinks like to be called that.”

  
He went in for a kiss but Luke dodged, turning his head away in disgust.

  
“What the fuck is your problem?” Ryland raised his voice, slowing his motions.

  
Luke just got angry back, his mood was totally ruined, he was practically soft again. “Just stop, get off me.”

  
Ryland hesitated on top of him, and then when Luke pushed at his shoulders he obliged, slipping out of him and sitting next to Luke on the bed. Luke expected to get dressed and make a quick escape, but the words didn't stop there.

  
“I don't know who the fuck you think you are,” Ryland said to Luke's back as he pulled his shirt over his head. “You think your ass is gold on the inside? There's a hundred other little blonde twinks like you in this city tonight, begging me to fuck them. You're nothing special, kid.”

  
Luke felt hot tears pricking the corner of his eyes with every word Ryland was speaking to him. He felt like shit. The night had blown up in his face, and not in the way he was hoping for. He felt really guilty for how he'd been a dick to Ashton, and mad at karma. What a bitch for coming back around so early.

  
He ignored Ryland's insults as he put his clothes back on, but turned his head and snapped back at him before he left. “Then you can call one of the hundred,or maybe even two or three, I'm sure they'll be glad to finish you off.”

  
He walked out of the apartment calmly, but slammed the front door. He didn't care if Ryland had neighbors he was waking, he didn't care what happened to him. In that moment, all Luke wanted to do was run.

  
So, he ran.

  
He ran until he was downstairs, passing through the lobby, and out the main doors. The cold night air hit Luke, and he breathed it in, let it fill and leave his lungs. He stumbled and leaned against a brick wall. People were walking by, cars driving fast, even with the time of night it was. Suddenly the lights and the noises of the city weren't so comforting or familiar, and his chest felt tight. He hadn't had the feeling of not knowing where he was even though he knew his current physical location, he hadn't felt it since the first few weeks of living there, the ink on his citizenship papers still fresh. He felt homesick, and a bit physically sick. He wanted to he embarrassed by the stinging tears in his eyes, but as people passed him on the street and he rubbed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes to try to stop it, he couldn't care less. No one was going to stop to ask a stranger why they were crying at one in the morning, anyway.

  
While he was crying on the street, he obligingly allowed himself to feel sorry for himself. Ryland was right, he told himself, he wasn't anything special. He was just like loads of other guys out there, who loved to be used up by boys who didn't give a damn if they were hurting anybody. He was just a stupid kid, thinking he could go on this wild journey of sexual self-discovery and taste all the flavors, not thinking one would leave a sour taste in his mouth. He was stupid, but he was lucky that this was the worst that had happened to him.

  
Luke finally pushed all his tears out, and then slumped down until he was sitting on the ground. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, instantly seeing that Ashton had left paragraphs of texts for him. He ignored that, completely unready to deal with that situation. He closed out his messages and stared at his homepage, thinking. He was kind of screwed, because he didn't know the exact address of where he was, and on top of that he didn't even know who to call to pick him up. Ashton was out of the question, and Michael was out of the city. Besides, Luke didn't want either of their judgements or “I-told-you” so’s. In staring at his home page, he noticed that there was a little red message notification on his tumblr app. He pressed the app angrily and held down, ready to delete the app from his phone, along with all the big whopping nothing it had gotten him. Only the app opened instead, and Luke decided to read his messages even though he was regretting ever finding the blog. However, as Luke saw who the latest message was from, sent only twenty minutes before when Luke was moaning someone else’s name, he froze. The truth was that that blog had been worth something, it had found him an amazing person who had absolutely wrecked any chance Luke had at enjoying playing the field. Because no one knew how to take care of Luke, how to touch him, like Calum.

  
There his URL was, along with a simple message.

  
_Call Anytime._

  
His phone number was right below that, a simple string of digits. Luke went back to that morning after when Calum was dropping him off, weeks ago, and nearly starts crying again with how truly stupid he'd been. He should have put his pride and his idea of “rules” aside and just asked for that stupid series of numbers from the beginning. Sitting there, he couldn't think of one good reason that he hadn't. His only thought was that if he had, he wouldn't be crying on the sidewalk of some stranger’s building.

  
Luke sniffled and cleared his threat, pressing call before he could talk himself out of it.

  
He answered on the second ring.

  
“Luke, hey.” Claim said, his voice steady and strong as ever. Maybe a little bit sleepy, he sounded like he was trying to sleep when Luke called. “I was just thinking about you.”

  
He sounded so fond and caring, Luke didn't realize he was crying again until a noise came from him that made it blatantly obvious.

  
“Luke?” Calum sounded instantly more concerned, worry dripping in his voice. “Baby what's wrong? Did something happen? Are you with someone?”

  
He paused, waiting for Luke to respond. Luke wanted to explain what happened, but he didn't have the energy. All he could focus on was one thing. He wanted to get to safety, but more than that he wanted to get to Calum.

  
“I need to see you.” He murmured, and immediately Calum jumped into action.

  
“I'll get you a car,” he promised, sounding wide awake then. “Send me your current location and I'll take care of everything.”

  
“Okay.” Luke answered, pulling his phone away from his ear to do so quickly.

  
“Alright, got it.” Calum confirmed once the message had sent. “Babe, are you safe where you are while you wait for the car?”

  
Luke looked around. He would prefer not to wait on a dirty street for thirty or so minutes, thankfully there was a coffeeshop on the corner, and he'd be able to see the car from the window. “Yeah, I'll get coffee while I wait.”

  
Calum sighed quietly. “Can you at least tell me what happened? Please, baby, I need to know you're okay.”

  
Luke shook his head, even though Calum couldn't see him. “We’ll talk when I see you. I promise nothing happened to me I'm just . . . I just realized I want to be with you tonight.”

  
There was a beat of tense silence, and in that time Luke managed to pull himself up and started walking towards the coffee shop.

  
“Oh and Calum?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Don't call me baby again until I can get over there and kiss you for it.”

  
There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line. “Alright. See you soon, Luke.”

  
“See you, Cal.”

  
Luke hung up the phone and entered the warmth of the coffee shop. He got a cup of plain coffee and sat by the window, leaning his head against it as he waited for the car.

  
Luke didn't know what would happen when the car came or on the drive over, and he didn't know what would happen when he finally saw Calum again.

  
All he knew was he didn't feel homesick anymore. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of short but I think it fits and makes the next chapter more complete. I also want to say that the original characters in this story do have a purpose and they will come back throughout the story :-)
> 
> Anyways, I'm currently sick and on bed rest so good news is I'll be writing more! Haha anyways hope you enjoy the update :)

 

Luke found himself in a car with a stranger again.

  
Only this time wasn't a silent ride. He has worried that he would get in the car and be tapping his foot for an hour, on pins and needles to get to Calum. The driver had instantly put him at ease though, introducing himself as Dominic, an “old friend of young Mr. Hood”, and insisted Luke sit in the front seat.

  
“I'm not a cabbie.” The older man had joked as he started the car again once Luke was settled. It was pretty obvious that Dominic was from somewhere in the U.K., going on accent alone. He was probably in his mid-to-late fifties, his salt-and-pepper hair slicked back elegantly in a way that made him look refined rather than old. He was one of those men who aged well, a silver fox in other words. The fact that he was driving a Bentley and was in a suit despite the fact that it was far too early in the morning for one only added to the whole persona.

  
Despite saying he wasn't a cabbie, when Luke asked about how he knew Calum, Dominic said he drove the younger man around whenever he travelled. Luke didn't want to pry, but he was definitely curious. He didn't understand how someone as young as Calum was such good friends with this much older man. Apparently they were close, close enough that Dominic had woken up in the middle of the night to retrieve Luke from the streets of the city and bring him to Calum’s place.

  
“I taught that boy everything he knows.” Dominic commented with a light chuckle when they were at a red light. Luke didn't inquire further. He figured that could mean anything, from business to academics to morality. . . among other things.

  
Still, the easy conversation helped keep Luke's mind occupied for the tedious ride. When they were about ten minutes away, Dominic had one last thing to say that would stick with Luke.

  
“My young friend seems to care very much about you, Luke. He has never asked me to deliver anyone else to him at near three in the morning, in fact he never asked for anyone else at all.”

  
By then, they were driving into Calum’s neighborhood, huge apartment buildings lined side by side and each one semi-circling around lush courtyards. Luke hadn't noticed before, but with the lights reflecting on the buildings he saw the differences in each one. For one all their courtyards were slightly different, with a variety of plants and flowers in each one. The exteriors of each building were just slightly different too. The first building was wide and shorter than the others, and it was painted the palest blue, it almost appeared white. There were mostly flowers planted there, lots of pure white lilies lining the sidewalks. Luke supposed that was the central building where the lobby and the landlord’s office was, judging from what he could see through the glass. The next building was taller, and a deeper tone of blue. The next was even taller and a more pure blue. The pattern continued until they were turning onto the road that lead to the back parking lot of building five, tall and sleek and so richly navy blue that it almost appeared black and blended into the night sky, except for the alternating illuminated windows. And they say New York was the city that never slept.

  
Dominic parked the car and surprisingly got out of it with Luke, walking with him towards the gate to the courtyard.

  
Luke thought he would have to call Calum back to tell him they had arrived, but he was filled with renewed excitement to see a familiar face waiting for them, the gate wide open beside him.

  
After how he had been treated earlier that night, Luke only felt minimally embarrassed at how his pace quickened, until he was full on running across the lot into Calum’s arms.

  
The only way Luke could compare the feeling to was someone who really appreciated Wine having their first glass of aged Merlot after only drinking Franzia straight from the bag for over a month.

  
Not quite the first taste of water after being stranded in a desert, but pretty damn close.

  
“I missed you,” Luke murmured against Calum’s neck, trying to burrow himself in and breathe in as much of his cologne as he could. It had faded from the t-shirt that was still at the foot of his bed, so getting a fresh hit of it combined with crisp Autumn air was perfect. “I missed you and I'm an idiot.”

  
Calum laughed softly, planting kisses in his hair and holding him tight. “Missed you too, baby.”

  
Dominic followed behind at a slower pace, chuckling at Luke's reaction and shaking his head fondly at the sight of the two younger men reuniting.

  
“Dom, thank you so much for getting Luke here safely. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else.” Calum said once his old friend approached, reaching out to give a sincere handshake. Luke nodded thankfully with a small smile, but stayed tucked into Calum’s side.

  
“It's no problem at all, consider it leverage.” Dominic replied, only chuckling again when Calum gave a questioning look. “Maybe I can guilt you into finally doing the show this year.”

  
Calum just laughed easily, his hand running up and down Luke's back as he talked to his friend. “Keep dreaming, you dirty old man.”

  
They both laughed heartily then, and Luke just smiled, even though he wasn't in on the joke and had no clue what they were talking about. Frankly, he didn't care. All that he cared about was that he was finally with Calum again.

  
They said their cordial goodbyes, and Luke thanked the older man for his trouble. Just as he was turning back to leave, he looked at Calum sternly.

  
“I like this one.” He said, motioning to Luke. “Take good care of him, will you?”

  
Calum smirked, his hand resting possessively on Luke's hip. “You know I will.” He promised.

  
Dominic gave a little salute, and with that he was turning on his heels and heading back towards the car.

  
No sooner had the engine revved that Luke was being pulled in. It was quick; in only seconds Luke's back was pressed to the stone and Calum was kissing him like he hadn't seen him in years rather than a little over a month. Luke couldn't help but get lost in it, his lips falling open for passage as he buried his fingers in Calum’s thick hair.

  
He hadn't expected Calum to kiss him first. He thought he'd have to practically beg for it, or at the very least work up to it. But it was like they were magnets, and Luke couldn't deny how happy he was as Calum kept holding him tight, trying to pull their bodies impossibly closer together.

  
Neither stopped until they absolutely had to, Luke panting softly, still brushing his wet pink mouth against Calum’s bottom lip as he tried to catch a steady breath.

  
“Something to remember the next time we’re separated for a stupid amount of time.”

  
Luke laughed breathlessly, shoving Calum’s shoulder playfully. The brunette caught his wrist though, and kissed the tender skin there before intertwining their fingers.

  
“Come on, let’s go inside, it's late enough.”

  
Calum closed the gate as quietly as he could manage and led Luke through the courtyard. A short ride in the fancy glass elevator later, and they were walking up to Calum’s front door.

  
“Shh, don't wake up my folks. They'll kill me if they hear me sneaking a boy in at this ungodly hour.” Calum teased as he unlocked the door, and Luke just rolled his eyes and pushed inside like it was his own apartment.

  
As they passed the entryway, Luke saw that the living room and the kitchen were the same as the last time he had been there, no surprises there. Only, Luke couldn't help but feel like something was off. Calum tried to tug him along to the right, towards the hall that lead to his bedroom, but Luke stayed. He looked around, confused, finally fixating on the kitchen counter.

  
“Yes, that is new. Solid marble.” Calum deadpanned, and Luke smirked at him.

  
“Well then, I just love what you've done with the place.”

  
Calum just rolled his eyes, kissing his forehead and dragging him to the hallway until they were in the bedroom.

  
Calum sat down at the foot of his bed, his hands framing each of Luke's hips. Luke looked down at him with a soft smile as he lifted up his shirt, gently pressing kisses against the soft skin of Luke's stomach before looking up to meet blue eyes with a matching smile.

  
“What do you want to do?” Calum questioned fondly, completely willing to do whatever it was Luke asked of him.

  
“Can I take a bath?” Luke answered, voice small but his eyes never leaving Calum’s. He wanted to wash away the night, have a fresh start even if all he would want to do after was sleep. It was a step up from a quick shower, Luke wanted to linger in Calum’s space for as long as he could. Not that he was worried Calum would be asking him to leave any time soon.

  
“Of course.” Calum said, instantly standing and guiding him over to the master bathroom. The shower was tucked discreetly behind a half wall, but the bathtub was the center of the room - a classic white clawfoot with silver feet. Somehow it fit into the modern and sleek monochrome of the whole apartment, but it was definitely a statement piece. Calum went over to the faucet at the front of the tub and began running warm water, and Luke peeled his clothes off, leaving them carelessly in a pile on the floor.

  
Luke slid down into the water, the soap Calum had poured against the running water instantly creating a flurry of bubbles.

  
“Thank you,” Luke murmured, and Calum just smiled back fondly and turned the water off.

  
Calum leaned over for a chaste kiss as a way of saying “you're welcome”, Luke smiling contently when he stood up.

  
“I'll be right back.”

  
Watching him go, Luke let his head rest on the edge of the tub. He could hardly believe how the night had turned around for him. As he was lounging there, so relaxed, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd been wasting his time. Clearly, it couldn't get much better.

  
Calum returned with a stemless wine glass in one hand, a bottle in the other.

  
“Did you want a glass?”

  
Luke shook his head.

  
Calum leaned against the counter, taking a long sip. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  
Luke bites his lip, looking up with playful eyes.

  
“The bath is nice, but it would be even better if you joined me.”

  
Calum shook his head fondly and took another long sip of wine.

  
“You really will be the death of me, Luke Hemmings.” He joked, but started to unbutton his shirt nonetheless.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

“Where has my baby been?”

  
Luke leaned his head back against Calum’s shoulder, shutting his eyes and sighing contently. He was sitting in warm water, covered up to his chest in bubbles. Calum was sitting behind him, his fingers tracing lightly up and down Luke's arm as it rested on the edge of the tub.

  
It was all so comfortable and warm, Luke thought he could just fall asleep right there.

  
“Nowhere half as good as here.” He murmured back, and Calum pressed a kiss onto his hairline.

  
Calum moved his arm to bring his glass closer so that he could take a sip, but Luke took it from him and drank instead, wincing at the strong flavor. He'd never much cared for wine.

  
Calum laughed, taking his glass back and taking a sip.

  
“I can tell you if you really want to know. But you won't get mad, right?” Luke said cautiously.

  
Calum ran a comforting hand up and down Luke's arm. “It's not any of my business, but if you want to tell me then you can. I won't be upset with you, I promise.”

  
Luke was bursting at the seams to tell Calum how he really felt. He was dying to tell someone, anyone who would listen. Usually, he could go to Ashton and he would listen to Luke complain and never once would he say “I told you so.”

  
But after what Luke had done, he wouldn't blame Ashton if he didn't want to even look at Luke. Luke had fucked up majorly on that one, he broke his friend’s trust and disrespected him. If Ashton was upset with him, then Michael was surely upset by association. He didn't really have anyone he was close to after that to tell, he surely wasn't going to ring his mum and tell her about all the sex he'd been having with strangers, she'd have a heart attack. The only person left was Calum, and in a strange way, Luke was closer to him than he was anyone else. They had this undeniable, unspoken connection. Luke would have never run across a parking lot to get to anyone else. Besides that, Luke trusted that Calum wouldn't get angry with him, he had never said or done anything to hurt Luke.

  
So, Luke told Calum everything. It was a bit easier, because he couldn't see Calum's face if he looked forward the whole time. He tried not to feel ashamed while he recounted what he'd done over the last month. He knew sex itself wasn't something to be ashamed of, he just felt that the way he'd thrown himself around wasn't his most shining moment. Maybe if he was one of those people who believed that sex was just sex, but he knew he wasn't like that, he had to have a strong connection to the person for it to be good for him. He had known that, but he went on anyway.

  
Telling him about Ryland was the worst, though. Probably because it had just happened, but also because of all the guys Ryland had actually really hurt Luke's pride.

  
“He's right, I'm just a stupid kid.” Luke murmured when he was finished telling Calum what had happened.

  
“You're wrong.” Calum said immediately. “Turn around Luke, look at me.”

  
Luke hesitated. He could feel the burning sensation of tears stinging his eyes and threatening to spill over, and he didn't want Calum to see that. He didn't want to be weak, because it proved that he was just a kid. He was just eighteen, and he was stupid to believe that he was special just because he'd gotten out of his hometown. He was stupid to believe that he was special, because there were a hundred other guys his age who looked like him, and who could do what he could do, and better.

  
Slowly, he turned his body so that he was facing Calum, his legs folded over Calum's hips. He looked down, but instantly felt Calum tilting his chin up with his hand so that they were eye to eye.

  
“You are wrong, Luke.” He stated solemnly. “You're not stupid, and you're not a kid either.”

  
Luke fell forward, burying his face in Calum's chest. Calum just wrapped his arms around him and held him there, carding soft fingers through his hair.

  
“You are special, Luke. You're like nothing and no one I've ever seen before.”

  
Luke looked up at the sound of those words, looking back at Calum's eyes for the briefest of moments before letting his gaze fall upon his lips.

  
It was Calum that pulled him in, Luke holding onto Calum's shoulders as they kissed. Luke could hear the water swishing back and forth as they moved, Luke ending up fully in Calum's lap, one strong hand splayed across his hips while Calum traveled down to leave kisses along his jaw.

  
“I shouldn't have let you out of the car that morning, not without plans to see you again. I'm the stupid one.”

  
Luke just nodded in agreement, and Calum smirked and pulled him back in for lingering pecks until they were both giggling at each other, and Luke buried his head against Calum's chest again. He tried to cover up his tires yawn with a kiss, but he didn't fool Calum. It was far too early in the morning, the sun would be rising in just a couple of hours. They both needed to sleep.

  
Calum set his glass of wine down on the floor and kissed the top of Luke's head affectionately.

  
“C’mon, let’s wash you off and get you to bed. We can talk more in the morning.”

  
He grabbed a sponge from where it hung on a hook against the wall and let it sink into the water. Luke watched as he poured liquid soap over it and rubbed it between his hands, creating suds. The smell of eucalyptus and spearmint hung in the air, and Luke watched sleepily as Calum rubbed the sponge over his soft skin in slow circles. He went over his chest and his tummy, then over the length of his arms. He took his hands and kissed over his fingertips before letting them settle back down into the warm water. Luke leaned into Calum as he went over his shoulders and back, kissing at Calum's neck lazily.

  
He let out a pleased hum as Calum washed over his ass, letting the sponge go to briefly grip the soft flesh in each hand. Somewhere along the way, Luke found himself kissing Calum again, arms wrapped over his shoulders to ensure he wouldn't be going anywhere.

  
Calum didn't retaliate, just let it happen as he was otherwise occupied. He ran his wet hands over Luke's body, touches gentle and wandering, until the younger boy’s skin was clean and the bath water was clouded with soap. They'd been in the tub so long their feet had wrinkled, but it was hard for Calum to get Luke to stop.

  
They were far too tired for soft kisses to lead to anything more, even though it was definitely something they both wanted. Even then, there was this feeling that they had time, even if it was just a weekend.

  
Calum eventually forced himself to pull away, reaching behind Luke to pull the drain plug.

  
Calum was also the one to brave standing up from the warm water to be hit with cold air, reaching over and grabbing two big, fluffy towels and handing one to Luke as he stood up.

  
“Thank you.” Luke murmured, wrapping himself up.

  
Calum secured his towel around his waist and stood by the sink to brush his teeth. Luke fished his phone out of the pocket of his jeans from the pile on the floor, bypassing the paragraphs displayed on his lock screen, all from Ashton.

  
Realistically, Luke was more or less an adult and allowed to make his own decisions. He didn't need to let anyone know where he was, or where he would be staying if he had his way. It wasn't like Ashton and Michael were his parents and he should feel obligated to let them know what he was up to.

  
He texted Michael anyway, simply saying he was with Calum for the weekend.

  
He wasn't ready to face whatever Ashton had sent him. He knew his best friend was a rational person and wouldn't be too hard on him. Then again, he'd never done something quite as bad. Texting Michael was safer, he was out of town so all he could do was relay the information to Ashton.

  
Luke was contemplating his text when Calum finished brushing his teeth and kissed his shoulder.

  
Luke grinned, about to turn around in his arms. Calum was moving before he got the chance, taking the towel from his waist and hanging it back up.

  
“Join me when you're ready.” He murmured, pressing another kiss to Luke's skin, this time to his temple. He counteracted the sweet gesture by hitting his ass playfully, Luke raising an eyebrow and watching him walk away, his naked body on full display as he disappeared into the bedroom.

  
Luke sent the text and left his phone on top of the pile. He found his toothbrush still sitting in the cup he had left it in the last time he had been there. He tried not to think about that as he brushed his teeth, that Calum had left it there like he knew he would be back.

  
He was about to walk through the open doorway back into the bedroom, his hand on the light switch, when Calum's voice paused his movements.

  
“You look like an angel from here.”

  
Calum was laying in his bed, propped up on his elbows. He pushed the blankets aside so Luke could easily climb in on the side next to him.

  
Luke just blushed and turned off the light, quietly stepping into the room.

  
“Leave the towel.” Calum reminded him softly, and Luke let it fall from his hips. He sauntered over to the bed as sensually as he could, Calum watching him intensely the whole time.

  
He crawled onto the black satin sheets on hands and knees, leaning in to kiss Calum before settling in under the covers. Calum immediately pulled him in, letting Luke rest his head on Calum's chest and throw on of his long legs over Calum's.

  
Luke looked up at Calum, barely able to see him in the darkness with half-lidded and tired eyes. He was about to say “Thank you.” For everything. It was amazing that Calum had taken Luke back, no questions asked. He didn't know what was going to happen in the morning, or even beyond that. All he knew was that he felt safe, more safe in Calum's arms than he had ever felt in anyone else's.

  
“You're the most beautiful boy I've ever seen.” Calum murmured, his thumb tracing over Luke's bottom lip.

  
“Calum, we should talk about th-” he tried, but Calum pulled him closer, Luke's face tucked against his chest.

  
“We’ll talk in the morning. Let's sleep.”

  
Luke nodded lightly, resting his hand on the small of Calum's back and letting his eyes fall closed.

  
He could feel Calum's fingers gently carding through his hair, the other arm keeping a hold of him so tight, like he was worried Luke would drift away.

  
“I really hope I wake up tomorrow and find that this isn't all a dream.” Calum whispered, and Luke smiled, half asleep.

  
“It's real.” He whispered back, and before either one could continue the conversation, sleep settled over them.

  
               _______________

  
There was something to be said about waking up naked on satin sheets. Maybe that the sheets themselves were so smooth and comfortable, rubbing against bare skin. Or maybe it was the being naked part, the fact that Luke was comfortable enough to sleep totally exposed, vulnerable.

  
Luke's skin was warm under the blanket and cool against the satin, the combination of the two leading to absolute bliss. The only thing that made it better was the feeling of Calum’s lips on his neck, warm hands roaming over his body in an effort to wake him gently.

  
He reached out to kiss Calum before he even bothered opening his eyes. He was met with a pleased hum, fingertips burrowing into the soft skin along his hips as he was kissed fully awake.

  
Calum looked down at him when they parted, leaning up on his elbows, hovering halfway over Luke's body.

  
“Hi,” he greeted in his rough morning voice, lips pressing softly to Luke's temple before he spoke again. “Remind me what happened last night before you pinch me and I wake up for real.”

  
Luke giggled against his mouth, stroking his thumb over Calum's cheek. “You had one glass of wine and said I was the most beautiful boy you've ever seen.”

  
Calum smirked as he replied, “That sounds about right.”

  
The kisses continued and grew deeper, Luke lining his hips under Calum's and subtly grinding upwards, his half-hard morning wood rubbing against Calum's.

  
He gasped quietly at the friction, whining when Calum pulled back only moments later, moving away so he could no longer reach him.

  
“Luke, we should talk.”

  
Luke kissed his jaw, trying to pull him back in, digging his fingertips into the older man’s shoulder blades in retaliation.

  
“We can talk while you fuck me.” He murmured hotly against Calum's ear.

  
He thought he was being rewarded when Calum groaned softly in return, dipping back in to kiss him on the mouth. He thought otherwise once Calum had a taken his hands and pinned them above his head, looking down at Luke smugly as he realized he was pinned down and unable to move against Calum.

  
“If I have my way with you, you won't be able to talk while I'm fucking you.” Calum said, voice still rough with sleep, his hair a mess in the morning sunlight.

  
Luke wanted him so much it made him ache, whimpering pathetically in his hold.

  
“I remember what you looked like on that first day.” Calum started, his grip loosening on Luke just slightly. He was staring at him intensely, eyes roaming all over Luke's bare figure, watching him squirm.

  
“You looked sad.” He said, placing an innocent kiss on his jaw.

  
“And a little scared.” He added with a kiss lower, on his neck.

  
“And you'll always look impatient, at least when you're with me.” Calum smirked smugly, looking up at Luke's eyes, half-shut with lust, as if to confirm his statement. He kissed Luke's Adam’s apple. Luke was struggling to stay still, to not rip himself from Calum's hold and flip them over, straddle his lap. The thing was that he could, Calum wasn't holding him that tightly. But he wouldn't dare, too busy glancing down at what Calum was doing, and he guessed that was the point.

  
“I remember the look on your face the first time we fucked,” he murmured, his hot breath ghosting over one of Luke's nipples before he let his tongue flit against it, making Luke gasp at the touch. He didn't bother doing the same to the other side, preferring to move down lower, kissing over his abdomen. He slowly let go of Luke's hands, trusting he wouldn't move. The blonde was completely still, the rise and fall of his chest his only movement. “You looked at me like I was breaking you apart and pulling you back together at the same time.”

  
Luke bit his bottom lip at the memory, nodding his head slightly even though Calum hadn't been questioning it at all, he knew he was right.

  
“It wasn't the first time I saw that look on someone's face while I was inside them.” Calum muttered softly, his tongue running over the soft trail of hair below Luke's belly button. The younger boy frowned, a shocking amount of jealousy striking through him, but quickly recovered when Calum let a hot breath fall over the tip of his dick.

  
“I never wanted to keep any of them as much as I want to keep you, Luke.”

  
Luke whimpered at that, closing his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at Calum taking his length into his mouth, one hand traveling down to hold the base and the other gripping into the soft skin of his inner thigh. For a wonderful few minutes, Calum bobbed his head up and down Luke's length, cheeks hollowed and thick lips gliding effortlessly as his tongue worked over Luke's shaft.

  
Luke refused to move his arms, just gripped the sides of the pillow he was resting his head on. He let his breath come out in shallow huffs, his eyes tightly shut.

  
The room was so quiet, even with Luke's soft moans hitting the walls every so often. Calum didn't stop his pace until Luke's thighs were shaking, his moans giving way to high-pitched cries. He was coming close, and they both knew it.

  
Calum chose that moment to let go, his lips popping obscenely as he crawled back up Luke's body. Luke was whining desperately, his eyes opening to look at Calum, the tease.

  
“So, I guess the question is, do you want to keep me as much as I want to keep you?” Calum asked, his thumb brushing over Luke's bottom lip.

  
Luke didn't hesitate for a moment.

  
“Yeah,” he whispered shakily. “I want to be yours.”

  
Luke didn't even need to think about it, didn't even see what other option there was. Of course he wanted Calum, he thought it was pretty physically obvious how much he wanted him.

  
Still, he knew there was weight to the words. Luke had never been purely for someone else, not really. Calum brought out a side of him he had never seen, could never get to with anyone else. Up until recently, he'd really tried to find it with other people, but no one could get him there. Calum was different, had been different from the start.

  
It didn't matter that he wasn't the first to share Calum's bed, and it didn't matter that Calum wasn't Luke's first. He was Luke's best, though, and that had to count for something.

  
Calum buried his face in Luke's neck, sweet kisses placed there as he reached down to wrap his fist around Luke's dick, stroking him fast, focused on getting him there like only he knew how to.

  
Luke finally let go of the pillow in favor of holding onto him instead, his arms wrapped over his shoulders and his hands tangled in Calum's soft curls.

  
“Yours.” He moaned softly against Calum's ear, bucking his hips up lightly. “All yours.”

  
Calum lifted his head to look at him, brown eyes fixed upon blue.

  
“Mine.” He murmured, his voice soft but the message strong.

  
He kissed Luke the moment he started to come all over his stomach and into Calum's hand, capturing Luke's moan between his teeth. Luke could taste the morning, and himself.

  
They stilled for a few minutes, and slowly Luke's grip on Calum lessened until he was laying back on his side, curled against Calum's chest and tucked under his chin, the way they had slept.

  
“Give me another minute, I'll return the favor.” Luke murmured, kissing over Calum's heartbeat.

  
“Later, baby.” Calum responded, his fingers tracing a pattern on Luke's back. “That was just me, helping you.”

  
Luke laughed quietly, cuddling into his side. He didn't know if it was the orgasm or the commitment, but he was feeling so warm and content. It was a recurring feeling whenever he was in this particular king-sized bed, he'd noticed.

  
“Besides,” Calum added around his signature smirk. “How else was I going to hook you into being my boyfriend, unless you were about to come for me?”

  
“Would have said yes anyway.” Luke muttered, looking up at Calum. “Is that the title, then?”

  
“Too high school?”

  
“Too West Hollywood.”

  
Calum laughed, kissing his forehead. “Fine. Lover, then? Or is that too French?”

  
Luke rolled his eyes fondly. “I don't care. I just know I'm yours. And you're mine. And I don't want anyone else to ever call me baby, nobody but you.”

  
Calum smiled fondly, complete adoration in his eyes.

  
Luke buried his face back against warm brown skin, closing his eyes. He figured he could doze off again, Calum would be there when he woke up.

  
“You're still going to fuck me until I can't talk later, right?” Luke said quietly, feigning innocence.

  
Calum chuckled, bringing the blankets closer around the two of them. He answered Luke with another question.

  
“You'll just have to wait and find out, won't you baby?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :-) I really hope everyone enjoyed this, I loved writing this chapter. I'm pretty proud of myself for updating this story regularly, I update about once a week. Hope I can keep that going and get the next update out soon, I already started writing it and it's so fun now that they are together.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy here we are again. I'm sorry but this is kind of all over the place. Hope it's not too bad x

 

Luke really loved Calum's new kitchen counters.

  
They were at hip level, nice and wide so that Calum had plenty of room to cook Luke breakfast in the morning, and then lunch and dinner later on. Calum was a pretty good cook, actually. Luke liked to help him in the kitchen, fetching this and stirring that. Mostly he just sat on top of the counter and talked to Calum while he was at the stove, occasionally stealing something to nibble on when Calum wasn't looking.

  
Occasionally Calum would press him against the edge of the counter, kissing him until Luke would grip the edge of the marble and jump up, wrapping his legs around Calum's hips so that he could carry him off to the bedroom.

  
Luke really loved how cool the marble felt, especially when he had his cheek pressed against it while his body was on fire, Calum securing his hands behind his back while he fucked him against the newest home improvement.

  
Luke also kind of hated the marble, because it meant he had nothing to bite into to muffle the sounds he was making. With his hands being held behind his back, he couldn't even grip the edge of the counter. All he could do was feel the cool, smooth surface rubbing against his cheek and the sound of his gasps and curses against it.

  
They'd been at it for a good twenty minutes already, so Luke was past the point of trying to conceal how affected he was. His eyes were half closed, his breathing high and closing off in desperate whines. He imagined that the marble was pure white before, and his cries and whimpers and the sound of him moaning Calum's name had created all the beautiful grey wisps ingrained in its surface.

  
He was going to come completely undone, and Calum hadn't even touched him.

  
“You almost there, baby?” Calum asked him, but it sounded more like a known fact than a question.

  
Luke tried to answer, but all he could manage was a slight nod and gripping his fingers into Calum’s wrist where he held him.

  
“Not yet,” he said, and started to slow down his pace until he was sliding out completely, loosening his grip on Luke's hands until they fell by his sides. “Turn over and lay back, I want to see that pretty face when you come.”

  
Luke didn't know how he managed to turn over and jump up onto the counter without grabbing for Calum now that his hands were free. By the time he thought to do it, his legs were over Calum's shoulders and and a shiver ran down his spine at the feeling of the cool surface pressing against his back as he laid down against it. Calum was looking down, watching where he sunk back into Luke.

  
Luke moaned softly, relieved after the brief separation. His cock was leaking, curved towards his tummy, but he could care less about that. He reached his hands out, trying to get a hold of whatever part of Calum he could grip first, preferably his hair.

  
“Don't even think about it.” Calum warned sternly without glancing up, still looking down and focusing on the sensual pace he was taking. He bit his lip, fingers digging into the soft skin of Luke's thigh where he held on to it.

  
Luke didn't listen, leaning up and getting his hands in Calum's hair for a brief moment.

  
Calum looked up at him immediately, his eyes narrowed. He looked angry, the hot angry that made Luke want to break another unspoken rule just to see what would happen.

  
Instead of being pushed back like he expected, Calum gripped his face, pulling him in for a kiss. Luke moaned into his mouth, dirty little bites to his bottom lip as Calum leaned over him and fucked him slowly.

  
He felt the hands cradling his face slide down to his neck, then down his chest, thumbs grazing over his nipples. They slid down further to meet just below his hips, and Luke's breath caught in his throat. Calum’s hands were dangerously close to where Luke wanted to be touched the most.

  
Just as he thought Calum was about to touch him, he pulled back. He gripped Luke's wrists in his hands and forced him down until his back was pressed against the counter once more, his arms pinned above his head.

  
Before he could express his shock, Calum smirked and snapped his hips back to how they had been before, pounding into Luke.

  
Luke was completely helpless then, all he could do was arch his back and look up at Calum with wanton eyes. Calum's grip on his wrists was tight, his eyes hard set and focused while Luke's eyes wandered aimlessly from Calum's eyes to his body to where he was holding him against the white marble.

  
He could feel the tight heat in the pit of his tummy, his cock aching to be touched. He knew that wouldn't happen though, didn't really need it to.

  
“Hold my hands.” Luke whimpered desperately, looking back to meet Calum's deep brown eyes, which softened instantly.

  
He did so, his fingers moving up to gently intertwine with Luke's, still holding him down and fucking into him relentlessly.

  
Luke held onto Calum's hands tight and choked back another whine as he came, closing his eyes when he couldn't force them to stay open any longer.

  
“Calum, fuck, please. . .” Luke sobbed as he felt Calum take one of his hands away from his grip. He didn't know what he was begging for, but he kept crying out at the feeling of Calum's tongue licking up what had gathered on his tummy, then taking the tip of Luke's cock in his mouth to greedily suck off the last of it. He definitely wasn't begging him to stop.

  
Luke’s eyes were still closed as he tried to recover, so he didn't get to see Calum's face when he finished off, but he got to feel it deep inside of him, and hear his low groan.

  
They stayed that way for a moment, Luke laying against the cold surface of the counter, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling while Calum rested his cheek on Luke's stomach. Luke let go of his hand in favor of carding his fingers through Calum's hair affectionately.

  
“Damn, baby.” Calum muttered against his skin.

  
“Yeah.” Luke agreed breathlessly.

  
Calum slowly pulled back, leaving a trail of kisses behind. Luke's legs fell off Calum's shoulders and hung from the counter, useless. He had decided he was going to sleep there, he couldn't possibly get up at the moment.

  
“Don't think you won't get punished tonight for that little stunt you pulled.” Calum added casually as he walked to the trash to throw away the condom and pulled his sweatpants back up.

  
Luke whined loudly at the thought, covering his face in his hands. The only problem with being “punished” was that Luke enjoyed it so much.

  
Thankfully Calum didn't let him fall asleep on the counter, pulling him into his arms and bringing him back to bed for their mid-morning nap.

 

 

  
Over the past two weeks, Luke had spent each day of his four-day weekend at Calum's apartment. He didn't have a physical class on Monday, but Calum made sure to bring him back to his and Ashton's apartment in plenty enough time to work on his online coursework. It only gave Luke more reason to hate mondays, because it meant he wouldn't see Calum again until the weekend as he had to be close enough to campus to get there on time for his lectures, and still get his beauty sleep, of course.

  
Luke was an English major, so he spent most of his week curled up on his twin bed analyzing passages and writing, which gave him enough of an excuse to avoid his roommates. His grades had never been better.

  
Ashton wasn't necessarily mad at Luke anymore, but he wasn't happy with him either. Michael tried to make up for it, bringing Luke his morning cup of coffee and trying to pry information out of him. But Luke knew any information he gave to Michael was information he was giving to Ashton second hand, so he was keeping pretty quiet.

  
When Luke had come home that first Monday, he gave Calum an excuse and said that Ashton wasn't there, but it was very clear from the second he walked in that he was. He turned from the stove in the kitchen, looking Luke up and down as he stood by the front door.

  
“Glad to see you're alive.” He said, walking over to give Luke a tight hug. Luke had barely reciprocated before the older boy was pulling away, walking to his room and slamming the door behind him.

  
Luke stood confused, and a few minutes later when the kettle began whistling, Michael was sent out to retrieve the tea.

  
“Mikey, what can I do?” He murmured, his arms hanging by his sides in defeat.

  
Michael narrowed his eyes slightly, stirring the honey into his partner’s tea. “Don't fuck his client and then leave him an empty apartment when I'm out of town and can't look after him.”

  
He went back to their room, closing the door quietly behind himself.

  
If Ashton had spoken ten sentences to Luke since then, that was a generous guess.

  
Okay, so maybe he was still mad.

 

  
Maybe Luke should have been more bothered by the fact that he and his best friend were on the rocks, but it was hard to be anything but blissful. Calum treated him so well, had done everything he promised. His favorite times, besides the obvious, was when they were cuddling.

  
It was a luxury Luke hadn't gotten with any of his previous boyfriends, not for as long as he did with Calum.

  
He could lay in bed with him for hours, bare skin rubbing against satin sheets as they talked against the pillows. When they were in bed together, it was like the rest of the world faded away and they had nothing to worry about.

  
They talked about how Luke used to be the boy in Sydney dreaming about getting out, and what he did once he'd actually made it out. They talked about Ashton and Michael, but Luke didn't like to talk about it too much so Calum stayed in the dark that they weren't talking.

  
They talked about Calum's family too, and with the way he talked about her Luke was convinced that Calum's sister was the most beautiful and talented person on earth. He even had her name tattooed on his arm, Luke tracing over the bird’s wing above it while Calum told him about how Mali would sing to him whenever he was under the weather.

  
“I bet you're a great singer too.” Luke suggested, looking up at Calum with hopeful eyes.

  
He just chuckled and shook his head. “Not my area, I promise you.”

  
Luke just kissed his neck and cuddled into him. Maybe one day Calum would sing for him and he'd be proven right.

 

  
Sometimes, they talked about sex. Luke had learned that Calum was a very meticulous person, obsessed with the little details. He would spend the longest time opening Luke up on his fingers and tongue, not even trying to make him come but just learning what he felt like. He would study Luke's face whenever a bite or a lick over his skin resulted in a whimper or a moan. He would do it again, keeping note of where Luke liked to be touched the most, and in exactly what way. He never let Luke fall apart unless he could see his face when he did. Calum's first priority was always to make Luke feel good, he worried about his own release after, when Luke was coming down.

  
Luke was lying on his tummy one night, his arms folded and his cheek propped on top, Calum resting quietly next to him on his side. The older man had just laid down, trying to regulate his breathing. He ran a hand through Luke's sweat-dampened hair, kissing his temple affectionately.

  
“You did so good, baby.” He praised, running his hand soothingly over Luke's back.

  
“I made a mess of your sheets.” Luke murmured sleepily. He was always tired and a little vulnerable in the afterglow, but it was okay because Calum was always there, always holding on to Luke to make sure he was satisfied.

  
“And I made a mess of your pretty thighs.” Calum murmured around a laugh, looking down to where he'd just let his spunk coat the tops of Luke's bare thighs.

  
They stayed silent for a bit, just breathing. Luke knew Calum would be dragging him out of bed soon to take a bath, and Luke would love that, but he wanted to stay a bit longer.

  
“Let me taste?” He whispered innocently, Calum breathing in sharply at the request. Still, he could never deny Luke a thing.

  
He reached down, letting two fingers gather up the come splattered against Luke's thigh. He brought his two fingers up to meet Luke's open mouth, and Luke instantly moaned as the taste hit his tongue, his own fingers wrapping gently around Calum's wrist to keep him there. He sucked Calum's fingers clean, gazing up at Calum innocently the entire time, practically fluttering his eyelashes.

  
“Fuck.” Calum murmured, in awe of Luke. He let his fingers slide out easily, catching on Luke's kiss-bitten bottom lip and watching it bounce back into place, a soft smile forming on Luke's face.

  
They went back to how they were, just cuddling blissfully.

  
“Shouldn't we have rules?” Luke broke the silence.

  
“Rules?” Calum mused, back to tracing patterns along Luke's back, his fingers sliding against the soft dip he found there.

  
“I don't know,” Luke started, even though he clearly did know something. “It just seems like normally, with this kind of thing, there's rules. Like, what if you wanted me to only call you sir?”

  
Calum raised an eyebrow. “I don't want you to call me sir, Luke. I'm not completely ancient yet.”

  
Luke rolled his eyes, swatting his chest playfully. “Not like that. Just to show that you're, you know, dominant. Over me.”

  
Calum laughed, giving Luke an incredulous look. “Oh, I'm sorry. I thought my dominance was well established just about twenty minutes ago, when you were on your knees and crying face down in a pillow begging me to fuck you.”

  
Luke pouted, but couldn't form a response to that.

  
“The only rules are this,” Calum held up the two fingers that had just been in Luke's mouth. “One, I'll do whatever you want to do, as long as we can do it safely, to make you happy. And Two, even if we agree on something, if it doesn't feel right or you want to stop, you have to tell me and I will stop.”

  
Luke nodded his head, “Sounds like good rules. Green means go, red means no.”

  
“Exactly.” Calum approved, rewarding Luke with a peck on his cheek. “I'll ask you sometimes, if I'm not sure, but you can always throw out your color if you need to. Green means it's going well, and I'm helping you.”

  
As Calum spoke, he traced the words over Luke's skin, on his back. Luke giggled softly, wondering if Calum even realized he was physically spelling out the word green with his fingertip on Luke's bare skin.

  
“Yellow means slow down, you're not sure if you like it.”

  
Yellow was printed invisibly against the curve of his back, tickling him.

  
“And red,” Calum murmured, tracing the word just above the swell of Luke's ass on his lower hips, “Red is stop everything, you definitely don't like it.”

  
Luke didn't think there would ever be a time when he would have to call out red, because everything he did with Calum felt good. Still, he knew what to do if anything ever went wrong. It was nice to know that they had something in place to check in on how the other was feeling. Sometimes Luke got lost in everything, so wrapped up in his own experience that he forgot about Calum a little bit. Sometimes he worried that Calum wasn't enjoying it as much as he did, because he was so focused on Luke that he didn't express his feelings about what was happening as much (at least, not as vocally as Luke did). Calum was the type that wouldn't say anything if his knees were killing him or he was at a bad angle, nothing mattered to him but helping Luke enter that headspace and keeping him there for as long as possible. Now, he'd be able to ask, to make sure Calum was just as comfortable and into is as he was.

  
“Will you do that for me, pretty baby? When I play rough with you?” Calum murmured softly, his hands resting over Luke's hip. Luke shifted his position so that he was laying half over Calum, nuzzling into his neck to leave kisses.

  
“Mmhm.” He agreed sweetly.

  
“So if I did something like this,” Calum paused, his hand moving away from Luke's side. Luke looked over his shoulder to see what he was up to, and no sooner did he that Calum was bringing his hand down hard over Luke's sensitive ass, his skin stinging deliciously. “What's your color, Luke?”

  
Luke looked back at him with desperate eyes. “Keep going.”

  
“You have to give me your color, babe.” Calum murmured, the teasing edge in his voice evident as he rubbed over the spot he'd just struck his hand.

  
Luke groaned in frustration, subtly grinding into the sheets and pushing his hips back so that Calum was gripping his flesh. He was already starting to wind himself back up, growing hot at the thought of Calum leaving new bright red markings on him.

  
“Green,” Luke murmured, buried in Calum's neck. “Green, purple, blue. . . Whatever it takes for you to give it to me.”

  
Calum hit him again, and Luke only hummed in pleasure.

  
“My little minx,” Calum chuckled affectionately. “Will you ever be satisfied?”

  
Luke was still grinding his hips, his breath hot on the older man's neck.

  
“We can find out.” He smirked.

  
Calum pulled him in for a kiss, one hand cradling Luke's cheek and the other still possessively resting over his bum. Luke was distracted, so much so he almost missed Calum writing one last word onto his skin with his finger, this time directly onto blooming pink skin. Once he'd figured out the word, he smiled into the kiss and obediently crawled into Calum's waiting lap for another round. As he grinded back against Calum's dick, with strong hands holding his hips and guiding his pace, he pictured the word was still there, a pale mark surrounded by irritated pink skin. He said the word over and over in his head, and gasped when Calum repeated it back to him out loud, a rough whisper in his ear as Luke clung to him desperately. It might have been Luke's new favorite word.

  
“ _Mine_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to end at another point but it was pretty long already and I liked the ending so yeah. 
> 
> Comments are so helpful and so appreciated :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this fic is becoming my life. I was having a fight with my best friend and I couldn't finish this chapter until I made up with her lol. 
> 
> Also, this chapter is meh but it's okay because the next chapter is my favorite so far :))

 

It was another Monday, a dreaded Monday morning.

  
Luke was sitting on top of Calum's kitchen counter with his fresh cup of coffee in his hands, his hair still clinging to his forehead and damp from his shower. He had soft black briefs on and fuzzy white socks, swinging his feet back and forth lazily as he sipped from his mug. It wasn't really his mug, but ever since he'd started staying at Calum's place it might as well have been. It was a pale grey, little yellow dots all over it.

  
Luke was staring at his olive green duffle bag, all packed and ready to go. His jeans and shirt were the first things on top when the bag opened, folded and ready to be put on. Still, as Luke stared at the bag, he couldn't gather up the energy to do it. That was what the coffee was for.

  
It wasn't like Calum had kept him up all night, not on that particular time at least. Instead, he'd been sleeping soundly for the past twelve hours, his beautiful boyfriend resting behind him with one arm cradling his waist. In the morning, he'd woken up slow, lounging in satin and stretching his long limbs out like a cat before climbing on top of Calum and caging him in with his arms and legs until he was awake too.

  
Now it was half past nine and Calum was finishing up in the shower, and Luke was going home for the week. It was their routine, only each time it felt less and less like he was returning home.

  
It wasn't home anymore when his best friend talked to him like they were just casual acquaintances. Michael talked to him, probably because he felt bad that there was this riff between the two people he cared about. Luke had to have someone to gush about his new boyfriend to, so Michael hesitantly filled in the role, but he didn't ask invasive questions or giggle the way Ashton did. Luke really missed that.

  
“Luke, what are you doing?”

  
He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice, a familiar body following it into the room. Calum was wearing sleek black jeans and black shoes, sliding his favorite sweatshirt over his head. It was solid black, quarter length sleeves, and just had one simple word to its design, printed in matte black letters vertically down the spine of the back of the shirt: evolve. Luke had a similar shirt stuffed in the bottom of the bag, he'd already slept in it three times.

  
Luke looked up innocently from the rim of his mug as he took another sip, straightening his back and swinging his fluffy-sock covered feet again.

  
“I packed.” He murmured, as if it was so hard to pack a weekender bag, the contents of which barely changed from the last week.

  
“Yes, but you were also supposed to be dressed and ready to go.” He reminded him, motioning to his clearly exposed body.

  
Luke smirked, placing his cup down on the marble. He leaned back, his hands flat where they held him up. He gave Calum a moment to let his eyes wander, roam over Luke's bare chest and long, exposed legs.

  
“I'm perfectly dressed and ready to go, depending on the circumstance.”

  
Calum groaned, rolling his eyes. “It won't work this time, little minx. Put your clothes on and get your ass in the Audi.”

  
Luke pouted but ultimately complied, downing the last of his coffee and hopping off the counter, unceremoniously stepping into his jeans and slipping on his shirt in the middle of the kitchen. He kept his fluffy socks on, stuffing them into a pair of worn blue docs.

  
They met again at the front door, Calum taking Luke's bag from him and ushering him out the door, locking it behind them.

  
“I still don't see why I can't just stay all day and leave tonight.” Luke whined, swinging their joined hands back and forth as they walked to the elevator.

  
Calum gave him a pointed look. “We both know why. Neither of us would ever get any work done.”

  
Luke sighed loudly and leaned back against the cool railing of the elevator. Calum pressed the button that would send them to the courtyard on the ground floor and then stood in front of Luke.

  
“So basically what you're saying is that I'm so irresistible, it would be totally impossible to keep your greedy hands off me? I'm so pretty, it would spark endless and mindless lust and you wouldn't be able to stop fucking me until we were both completely exhausted? Is that the only reason I can't spend the day?”

  
By the time Luke was done with his spiel, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the sounds of chatting neighbors and a bubbling fountain.

  
“Basically.” Calum confirmed, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

  
They walk into the courtyard hand in hand, Calum all smiles. Luke can't help but just look at him, soaking up every bit he can before he has to leave.

  
They pass now familiar faces, because there are always people walking around during the day. As Luke learned pretty quickly, Calum was one of the original residents of the building, so he knew just about everyone. Instead of walking down to the courtyard and heading straight for the gate that lead to the parking lot, walking with Calum meant several chatting stops were to be made.

  
They saw Mark from the fifth floor, with his cute little poodle which he always let Calum cuddle with for a minute. They chatted with Clara, who lived three doors down from Calum and was always with Jaime, even though she lived in building two. Probably because they were sleeping together.

  
They talked to Jae for a while, her long black hair piled into a loose bun on her head and her tired new-mom eyes still crinkled in a smile. Roman and Jae were two of Calum's closest friends, from what Luke could tell. He was always so excited to see them, cooing over the swaddled bundle usually found with them. It was a bit strange for Luke, seeing this tiny baby grow by weeks whenever they saw each other. Luke had a sneaking suspicion that Calum had babysat at least once on a weekday when he wasn't around.

  
On that day, Isha was in her stroller, looking up curiously at the sky and the plants all around her. Luke watched her fondly while Jae was teasing Calum about getting back to the gym with Roman. Luke got easily distracted and bent over the baby, offering his pinkie out, and smiling when Isha immediately reached out to grasp it.

  
“That's it Calum, I can't leave. Isha is telling me to stay.” Luke beamed.

  
No sooner had he said it than Isha was dropping her grip, putting her hand in her mouth instead and looking elsewhere. Luke deflated.

  
“Sorry, that's our que to leave.” Calum laughed, and they waved goodbye to their friends. Calum threw his arm over Luke's shoulder as he led him through the gate and to the car.

  
Calum threw Luke's bag in the backseat and then looked at Luke, expecting him to sit down in the passenger seat. Luke was looking down, playing with the hem of Calum's shirt, and trying to figure out how he could avoid leaving.

  
“If you let me stay I'll let you come on my face.” He murmured, putting on his pretty eyes and staring at Calum like a sad puppy.

  
Calum smirked, leaning in close. He wrapped his arms around Luke's hips, sliding them down until he was holding on to his favorite part of Luke. Luke whined, burying his head against Calum's strong shoulder.

  
“Save it for next weekend, baby.” He replied lowly, hitting Luke over the back pocket of his jeans where he was still very much sore. He pulled away then, walking away to the other side of the car. Luke bit his lip to keep from moaning and forced himself to sit down. He could make a run for it, make Calum chase him around like a kid, but he didn't have an apartment key so he wouldn't get far.

  
He sat leaning back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest as Calum started the car.

  
The thing was that everything Calum did turned Luke on. It was literally hard to be around him sometimes. When he drove, for example, he always had loud, sexy rock going through the sound system. He was also a really aggressive driver, speeding whenever he got the chance. There was also the look of him, of course, his defined jaw and serious eyes making him look so focused. He didn't forget about Luke, though. His hand was protectively on his upper thigh almost the whole time, like it was the only thing keeping younger boy in his seat.

  
Luke fell asleep in the car more often than not, which made the trip back easier and a lot faster, because he fell asleep ten minutes in and woke up to kisses telling him they were already there.

  
Luke pulled him close and kissed him slowly, making it last. By now, Calum knew the drill, he didn't go up to the apartment with Luke. Luke had made excuses for a few weeks, and then Calum just stopped asking, figuring Luke just wasn't ready.

  
Luke wasn't necessarily ashamed of his apartment, he was a typical broke uni student. He just wanted to avoid Calum meeting his roommates. With the way Ashton had been acting lately, there was no way to know what he would say to Calum. Things were going too well to mess it up.

  
So Luke grabbed his bag and waved goodbye, making his way up the stairs that led to his apartment.

  
As soon as he entered, he was very glad that today wasn't the day he'd decided to let his best friend and his new boyfriend meet for the first time after all.

  
Ashton has this pinched look about him when he's really mad. It's actually kind of funny, he looks like there's a rock in his shoe. Or maybe a lego. Anyway, he has that look on the minute Luke walks through the door and drops his bag, like he's been doing for weeks. Ashton is sitting in the living room with his glasses on and his laptop away from him, untouched on the coffee table. He has that lego-in-my-shoe look.

  
Luke avoids confrontation and turns right into the semi- closed off kitchen, but Ashton can still see him from the open wall above breakfast bar.

  
He sets about making a sandwich, because he didn't have breakfast at Calum's and he's starving, so he's already on edge without Ashton burning a hole in the back of his head.

  
He's spreading jelly on toast when the confrontation comes to him. He knew it was coming, but he at least thought he could have breakfast first.

  
“Where have you been all weekend?” Ashton’s voice comes from the entryway as he leans against the wall. In their small kitchen, they're only a couple of feet apart.

  
Luke sighs, his back still facing Ashton. “You know where I've been, with my boyfriend.”

  
Ashton huffs a laugh, dripping in condescendence. “Huh, boyfriend. Right.”

  
Luke turned, jelly-covered knife in hand. “I feel like there's more you want to say, Ash. So just say it.”

  
If Ashton was shooting daggers before, Luke was now shooting right back. He was fully prepared for another peaceful day of the silent treatment, but if Ashton wanted a fight Luke would give it to him.

  
“I just think it's funny,” The older boy sneered. “I wouldn’t call him your boyfriend when obviously it's just sex. Can't you see he's using you, Luke? You're nothing but an easy booty call to that guy.”

  
Luke set down his knife, looking away from Ashton. It was pathetic, one jab and he could already feel himself retreating. “It's not like that.” He murmured softly.

  
Ashton crossed his arms over his chest. “Sure sounds like it, from what I've heard. Let's face it Luke, you haven't always been the best judge of character when it comes to guys. What makes this one any different than the others?”

  
“You're wrong, he is different. It's not just sex, if it was just that I'd already be bored with him.”

  
Ashton gave a frustrated sigh. “You met him on a bdsm blog, for fucks sake. A step up from getting drunk and pulling sexually curious frat boys, sure, but that's still the only reason he's with you.”

  
Luke could feel the anger bubbling in his chest, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from where his gaze had landed on his shoes, looking down and unable to meet Ashton's eyes. He was about to blow, and the older boy just kept pushing. This had been building up for a while, but it was no less of an assault to get it all at once.

  
“I mean, what do you even know about this guy? What does he possibly do for a living to afford that car, for example?”

  
Luke stayed silent, because now he was cornered. He could tell Ashton each shade of brown in Calum's eyes and each line of ink on his skin, but he couldn't give a simple fact like what he did for a living. Calum was very quiet, and very private about his work. He definitely wasn't unemployed like Luke, but all he'd ever seen were some work emails and Calum typing away on his laptop. Calum never pried in his thing, which was currently blowing up, with Ashton. In return, he never pried into Calum's work. Apparently he was so good at not prying, he didn't even know what Calum did.

  
“You don't even know.” Ashton huffed, reading the words in Luke's head, written all over his face. “He could be a fucking drug dealer for all you know!”

  
The anger inside Luke was building up faster and faster. There had been many times in their friendship that Luke wanted to punch Ashton in the face, but at that moment the urge was at an all time high. He was treating Luke like he was stupid, like the one thing that made him happiest lately was all a lie. He knew Calum wasn't a seedy person, but he had no facts to back him up and Ashton was a person who needed facts.

  
“Then again, I guess it doesn't matter to you what he does, as long as the money is there, right?”

  
Luke finally looked back up, meeting his friend’s eyes.

  
“What are you getting at Ashton?” He managed, stepping closer to close the gap between them.

  
“I'm just wondering, does he give you gifts or does he just outright pay you by the hour?”

  
All Luke sees is red. He can't believe what Ashton is implying, basically calling him a whore to his face. He doesn't realize he's pushed Ashton back until his back thunks against the wall.

  
It's on.

  
“What the fuck did you just say to me? Are you fucking kidding me?” Luke was yelling now, shoving Ashton back when he stepped closer.

  
Ashton was just as aggressive. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He screamed back, finally getting his hands on Luke's shoulders to violently push him back, making him stumble.

  
Before fists could start flying, Michael emerged from the bedroom, hair fluffed up and wild from the pillow. He was pissed too, probably because the yelling had woken him up.

  
“How the fuck is this happening right now?” He murmured to himself before striding into the kitchen, standing between the two boys and separating here.

  
“This is fucking ridiculous.” He said firmly, looking from Luke to Ashton with an annoyed look in his eyes. “In case you forgot, you two are best friends.”

  
Ashton and Luke stepped back, hands at their sides like children who were being scolded. And Michael definitely had some things to get off his chest, looking at his partner first, his eyes softening just slightly as he puts a gentle hand on his shoulder.

  
“In fact, you're more than best friends. Luke's brothers barely talk to him since he moved out here, so you're the closest thing to a brother he has right now.”

  
He turned to look at Luke. “And you, cut him some slack. He doesn't mean it, he's just stressed at work with a certain new client.”

  
The anger faded from Luke, as he realized Michael was right. Ashton was his brother, had looked out for him since he was fifteen, so it was stupid to fight.

  
“Now kiss and make up so I can go back to sleep.”

  
Both boys looked at Michael, one with narrowed eyes and one like he was crazy.

  
Michael crossed his arms over his chest, a sleepy but smug smile on his lips. “I'm waiting.”

  
Ashton and Luke both took a step forward, meeting in the middle of the kitchen. They kissed, just a tiny peck that ended so quickly it wasn't even really a kiss.

  
Luke looked at Michael, who was all smiles. “Happy?”

  
“Elated.” He quipped back, spreading his arms wide and putting one around each of the boys’ shoulders, pulling each of them into one huge bear hug.

  
“Glad that's settled,” Michael sighed contently. “Now, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when I have to solve the next crisis.”

  
With that Michael retreated back towards their room, his bare ass on full display. It was only in that moment that Luke realized Michael had been naked the whole time. He wasn't surprised, though.

  
“I'm really sorry.” Ashton said immediately, his voice soft.

  
“About Michael being naked?” Luke chuckled, and Ashton just shook his head fondly.

  
“I shouldn't have said those things, Luke. I don't know this guy. I don't know his intentions. But I am your best friend, and as long as you're not hurting yourself I support you. And I know you're not, because lately you've been the happiest I've ever seen.”

  
Luke’s smile spread across his cheeks and he hugged Ashton tight. “I'm so happy, Ash. It's been killing me not to share it with you.”

  
Then, Ashton said the three little words Luke had been dying to hear all morning.

  
“Let's order postmates,” he said, burying his face in Luke’s shoulder affectionately. “And you can tell me all about him.”

 

 

  
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on the floor of Luke's bedroom next to the new space heater that had mysteriously appeared. They each had a takeout plate from Panda Express, and gossiped between slurps of low mein.

  
“Ryland is such a dick.” Ashton complained, spearing a piece of his honey walnut shrimp with his chopstick. “I can only imagine how he treated you that night, he walks into the office like he owns the place, like he's the biggest client we have. He's a C-lister at best.”

  
“Yeah,” Luke agreed easily. “Let's just say his mouth is way bigger than his only redeeming feature.”

  
Ashton giggled in the way that only Ashton Irwin could. It was like hearing the sun giggle.

  
“But fuck him.” Ashton added, changing the topic. “I don't have to see him again until next Tuesday, so I won't think about that until then. Tell me about Calum. Does he have any redeeming features?” He smirked.

  
“That's the thing, he has nothing to make up for.” Luke smiled coyly. “He's perfect, Ash. I promise I'm not exaggerating.”

  
The brunette just raised an eyebrow above the round frame of his glasses, biting into a piece of orange chicken.

  
“Okay, I may be a little bias. He fucks me so good, though. He goes so deep and it's so intense, but at the same time he's so sweet to me and it just makes me-”

  
“Woah, maybe I don't want to know _all_ about him.” Ashton cut him off, chuckling awkwardly. He had never heard Luke talk about anyone like that, and he was still very much in big brother mode. “I still have to look this guy in the face when I meet him.”

  
Luke beamed at that, his noodles falling from his chopsticks in mid-air. “So you want to meet him?”

  
Ashton nodded, a soft smile on his face. “Of course I do.”

  
Luke fought the urge to hug him again. It was so good to have his best friend back. It was going to be better now, he was going to tell Calum he could finally meet his roommates and they'd all become friends. It was all going to work out.

  
What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate each and every comment, and I just wanted to say thank you to those people who comment all the time, you are so awesome! 
> 
> If you didn't read the first note, next chapter has been one of my favorites to write so far. I'm going to take a little time with it so not sure if I'll do a weekend update, we shall see. But yeah next chapter we find out something about Calum that I've been building up to from the beginning so once that is revealed the story goes to another level and I'm so excited for it!! Comments guessing what it might be would make me super happy :))


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies! I'm so sorry it took me longer than usual to update. I had a deadly run in with finals week, but I have survived and thrived. 
> 
> Another thing I want to apologize for is the last line of the previous chapter, I feel like it caused a lot of anxiety and I honestly didn't mean for it to??? 
> 
> But anyway I want to explain the "huge big secret" isn't even revealed until the next chapter but I wanted to put this out instead of one huge update because I know y'all have been waiting. I hope it doesn't disappoint because I really loved this chapter, I'd say 8 & 9 together are my favorite so far. But with plans being made for 10, it's also a contender. Ugh I'm sorry I'm so annoying and in love with this story I'll stop now 
> 
> But one last thing I restarted my Tumblr! It's @onotherflights there too so you can read my old fics if you like or message me about this if you want to talk beyond the comments :) alright enough rambling, enjoy the update.

 

Luke didn't always know the best times to bring up something important. Often, he said something at the completely wrong time. The main reason for this was that he was not one for confrontation. He hated not knowing how someone would react to what he said.

  
When being able to see someone's reaction was removed from the conversation though, he felt a lot better.

  
The blindfold had technically been Calum's idea. It was lying on Luke's pillow when he went into the room to set down his bag. It was a pure white silk, straight across his pillow and a stark contrast to the black satin sheets. He'd noticed it right away, picking it up and rubbing the sleek fabric in his hands. He smirked to himself, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

  
When Calum finally came in the room to look for him, he was met with an ethereal sight.

  
Luke was sitting on his knees in the very center of the bed with his hands delicately in his lap. He was completely naked, other than the small piece of fabric tied around his head, covering his eyes.

  
His breathing was shaky, because he could hear Calum's sharp intake of breath and he could hear him moving around the room. He could feel the bed dip as Calum crawled onto it, and then silence.

  
“On my lap, now.”

  
Luke scrambled to follow the firm commands, his hands reaching out in the direction of the familiar voice until he found Calum. He straddled his lap, biting his lip when he felt Calum's fingers at his entrance.

  
“Do you want to keep it on the whole time?” He had murmured as Luke pushed back against his fingers.

  
Luke nodded weakly, whimpering when Calum hit his prostate. Luke wrapped his arms around Calum, whining softly in his ear as Calum opened him up, spreading his fingers and holding him still with one hand on Luke's slim hip. He had taken the time to learn Luke, and he knew exactly what to do.

  
Luke couldn't see, so his other senses were heightened. He could hear when Calum ripped open the condom packet, and he immediately shook his head, blindly trying to bat it out of his hand.

  
“Don't use one. Just wanna feel you.” He begged.

  
“But baby, the tests-”

  
“Mine came in, I'm clean.” Luke said, and he had known he was. Still, he had been so happy when Calum had suggested they get tested. The fact that he cared enough to make sure they were safe made Luke's heart soar. “And I trust you.”

  
It was easier to say something like that with a blindfold on. But he meant it, he did trust Calum. It was pretty obvious how much he trusted him by that point.

  
“Besides,” Luke added, a coy smirk curving his pink lips. “You don't have time to fuck anyone else, not with all the work I put in.”

  
Calum smiled against Luke's soft skin, and craned his head up to kiss him. He pressed against Luke's entrance, making him gasp into the kiss.

  
“Go to work then, baby.”

  
Luke bit Calum's bottom lip as he inched himself down, only letting it go to moan against his kiss-bitten lips once he's fully seated.

  
Calum let Luke set the pace at first, watching him throw his head back and rise and fall gracefully, probably as gracefully as someone could when they were riding a dick.

  
Once he'd given Luke enough time to adjust he thrusts his hips up to meet Luke when he pushed down, relishing the way the younger boy whimpered and pushed his fingertips into Calum's shoulders.

  
“Faster.” He ordered, and Luke obeyed. It only made him moan and whimper more, and Calum loved to test the limits, see how loud and desperate he could get Luke to sound in such a short amount of time.

  
It was when they were like that, Calum sitting up in the center of the bed and Luke bouncing in his lap with his eyes completely covered that Luke thought it was best to bring up an important topic.

  
“Hey,” Luke started, going red at how whiny he sounded. “Did you want to, um. . . Fuck.”

  
His thoughts wandered away from him. It drove him crazy when they were like this. Luke was doing almost all of the physical work but Calum was controlling the pace, and he always knew exactly what Luke needed.

  
“Slower.” He murmured, holding Luke's hips tight and guiding his motions until he was practically rocking back and forth. Luke tried again, now that he could breathe and think at the same time.

  
“Did you want to, um, come over? For dinner?”

  
There was no response, and Luke just kept going, waiting. When Calum finally spoke, it didn't answer the question.

  
“Faster, now.”

  
Luke didn't know why Calum was avoiding the question. He couldn't see his facial expression to tell what was going on in his head, but his tone was steady and low. He was focused, probably only on keeping Luke where he needed to be. So Luke didn't question it further and did what he was told. He went faster, slower, he stopped just as he was about to come, only to go again so it would last just a bit longer. He did whatever Calum said, and treasured every praise whispered against his skin.

  
He only stopped following instructions when he was climaxing, favoring holding onto Calum as tight as he could instead, clenching down around him and biting his neck with his last bit of stamina.

  
Luke got more praise after, when he was laying lazily on top of Calum, his head on the older man's chest.

  
“So good for me,” Calum said as he kissed his temple, rubbing his back soothingly. Luke knew he if he stayed there, the rubbing would turn to writing, and he'd fall asleep just like that, Calum writing a story on his skin. “Always so good.”

  
Luke didn't realize his eyes were shut under the blindfold until he felt the silk fabric slipping off his head, Calum twirling it playfully around his finger. He looked up, a brilliant smile forming on his face.

  
“I missed those pretty blue eyes.” He murmured, letting his thumb press against Luke's pink lips.

  
The blonde kissed Calum's thumb affectionately before crawling up to claim a more lingering kiss.

  
“You didn't answer my question, you know.” Luke mentioned as Calum started his patterns on Luke's back.

  
“About what?” He sounded genuinely confused.

  
Luke’s eyebrows bunched and he frowned at Calum. “Dinner. At my place.”

  
Calum blinked, looking no less confused. “I did answer you, I nodded yes . . .”

  
It took two blinks of silence for him to realize his mistake,tossing the blindfold away and covering his face in half-embarrassment. Luke just giggled, it was the most adorable thing Calum had ever done. He was usually so serious and focused, it was nice to see him looking the opposite.

  
“The answer is yes, of course I'll go. When?”

  
“Wednesday, at seven.”

  
“Fine.” He muttered, but he added grumpily to it in the same beat. “To be fair, I was otherwise occupied you know. I had the most beautiful boy I've ever seen bouncing in my lap.”

  
Luke pushed the hand covering Calum's face away with his nose, kissing his mouth sweetly.

  
“Careful, you haven't even had a glass of wine.”

  
Calum laughed against him and distracted him with kisses for a few moments before he was telling Luke to go and take a shower. Luke hummed in agreement, knowing there was an unspoken suggestion that Calum would be joining him in a moment.

  
“You go ahead,” he smirked, leaning up on his elbows and watching Luke crawl out of bed. He watched Luke's long legs striding across the dark room towards the light of the en suite, traces of him leaking down Luke's thighs. “I'm just enjoying the view.”

  
Luke stopped in the doorway, looking coyly over his shoulder. He let Calum's eyes roam over his body where the light was hitting him, waiting until his eyes were focused on his face.

  
Then he winked and walked out of sight.

 

 

 

 

  
The first time Luke had brought a boy home, it was when he was sixteen and still living at home. His mum had thought his first boyfriend was “adorable” and insisted they take cringe-worthy photos together in front of the stairway. It was truly embarrassing, both of them sporting matching flat fringe and baby fat. Luke wondered what his mum would think of Calum, who was quite a bit older than her son, tattooed, and mysterious. He was everything Luke was drawn to, and everything his mum had warned him to stay away from.

  
Thankfully, his mum wasn't in California. So when Wednesday night rolled around, Luke was only half comforted that at least whatever Ashton and Michael had to say after meeting Calum wouldn't be half as bad as his mum. Hopefully.

  
Ashton had completely turned a new leaf, now that he knew that Calum wasn't Luke's sugar daddy or using him for sex. It wasn't safe to say that he was excited to meet him, but at least he was being nice about it in front of Luke.

  
Also, it gave him an excuse to cook, and that always made Ashton happy.

  
When Wednesday night rolled around, Luke stumbled into the apartment after a long day of work. He'd recently started work at a coffee shop, which left him smelling like his favorite drink in the world every day. The pay sucked, but he really couldn't complain. He was an English major, working at a coffee shop was practically a rite of passage.

  
He set his keys down on the front table and was taking off his boots when he heard music coming from the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and wandered around the corner, boots in his hands and fuzzy white socks covering his cold toes.

  
Ashton was at the stove, wearing an awfully cheesy “kiss the cook” apron as he shook his hips to the beat of the music and stirred the pot on the burner. Michael was doing some prep work, chopping up some bell peppers on the side. It was also Michael who was singing along to the song blasting from Ashton's phone at top volume.

  
It was “starboy” by The Weeknd, and Michael had been obsessed with the song lately so Luke wasn't surprised to be hearing it playing for the dozenth time that week.

  
“You know, being a signed recording artist, one would think you'd be better at singing.”

  
Michael threw a whole bell pepper at him. Luke caught it in his hands before it could hit him, laughing at Michael's glare.

  
“One could fuck off and go take a shower. We’re busy cooking a delicious meal for your not-sugar daddy by the way.”

  
Luke sighed, rolling the bell pepper around on the counter. Just a plain tiled countertop, not a nice white marble one.

  
“You don't have to cook, guys. I'm sure he would be fine with pizza and beer.”

  
Ashton turned around, sliding his glasses up higher from where they had fallen while he was cooking. “Pizza and beer, Luke? Really?” He asked, like his friend was asking for something completely outlandish. “What's next, paper plates?”

  
Ashton was so serious, staring Luke down from behind his glasses. Luke tried to be serious too, because this whole hosting thing was evidently important to Ashton and Michael, but he couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter, and this time Ashton threw the bell pepper at him and it hit him in the shoulder.

  
“Get out of my kitchen.” Ashton demanded, trying not to crack and start laughing himself.

  
Luke’s laugh traveled with him down the hall, softly fading as he opened the door to his bedroom. He set his boots down and starting stripping out of his work uniform.

  
Luke's bedroom was nothing special. He'd gotten the smaller of the two in the apartment, and he wasn't much for decorating. His room was more about purpose than it was about expression. Back at his family house, he had posters and pictures and clippings from magazines plastered all over the walls, and he'd left them all behind.

  
This room had all he needed though. Pale cream walls and fake wood floors, like the rest of the apartment. He had a cheap double bed with a fluffy white duvet, a sturdy desk facing the window and piled with books and his laptop, a chair with one broken leg, a closet to hold all his clothes (many pairs of black jeans - all a maddeningly slightly different shade of black). He had a soft-glowing string of lights above his bed in lieu of a proper lamp, his abandoned coffee cup on the nightstand ready to be used again whenever he needed his next fix.

  
Then there was his bookshelf. It was a built-in, and Luke was disgusted when he first saw it. Not because it was a bookshelf, he was actually really grateful for that. The problem was that it was the ugliest bright blue he'd ever seen. He had said he was going to paint it, but he had never gotten around to it. Now it held all his favorite books and his candles and pictures of his family, and he'd grown fond of it.

  
The only thing he'd put up on his walls was just a few words - one of his favorite quotes from his favorite writer.

  
Ashton hadn't liked it, frowning when he had walked in to find Luke painting on the wall in their then-new apartment.

  
“You couldn't pick something less cynical? ‘Don’t worry, Be happy’, maybe?”

  
Luke had rolled his eyes and kept touching up the black paint with his brush until the script was perfect where it was lined up over the top of his headboard.

  
The truth is rarely pure and never simple

 

 

 

  
Luke changed into the tightest and darkest pair of jeans he could find. Then he went to his bed, picking up an all too familiar black t-shirt, one word printed vertically down the back. It didn't smell like Calum anymore, but Luke loved it anyway.

  
After changing and washing up and honestly trying to waste time so he didn't have to help cook, Luke padded into the living room and curled onto the sofa.

  
He checked his phone, a small smile on his lips. He had texted Calum the number of his apartment, so he could actually walk up to the door instead of staying in the parking lot. He locked his phone, only to press the home button again so he could see the image he'd set.

  
Calum had been playing with his phone one morning a couple of weeks ago, and Luke didn't think anything of it until he'd checked it later. For one, Calum had set his contact picture. It was black and white, and Calum was in a suit jacket and unbuttoned white shirt. He wasn't smiling, he had that serious face on that made Luke want to wrap his legs around him.

  
But on the lock screen, there was another picture. A picture that made Luke want to wrap his arms around Calum, and hold on tight.

  
They looked so happy in front of the bridge, standing together and smiling at the woman who had taken their picture, who had no idea that they were practically strangers then. They had just met, and they'd had their first kiss right there. It had been nearly three months, a whirlwind of time. And with where they were now, Luke couldn't help but think that he was even happier than he had been in that picture, on that first day.

  
Maybe he didn't know every single thing about Calum. Part of him liked the mystery, liked not knowing why Calum was the way that he was. He spent his whole life analyzing characters and dissecting meaning, but it was never like that with Calum. With him, he didn't want to skip pages to find out. He enjoyed letting things unfold, letting someone else hold the pen. Luke knew everything that was important anyway, and he didn't need to know anything else that Calum wasn't willing to tell him. He trusted him like he had never trusted anyone, even if that made him naive. He knew how he really felt about Calum, even if it was too early and he would never admit it out loud. Even if it meant he was breaking a five-year long promise with Ashton, who had said they would always tell each other whenever they were falling in love with someone.

 

 

  
Luke was so lost in thought that when there was a knock on the door, he jumped up and stubbed his toe on the coffee table.

  
“Fucking fuckface.” He whisper yelled abuse at the unsuspecting wood table, who had done nothing but hold his books and coffee all these years.

  
He made his way around the table and strode towards the door, where Michael was about to open it.

  
“Go find some paper plates or something.” Luke whisper yelled again, pushing Michael back into the kitchen playfully.

  
He stood in front of the door then, standing straight and smoothing over his shirt. He didn't know why he was nervous, still. He had people over before, but not like this. Calum wasn't even staying the night. He had no reason to be nervous. But he was, because it was Calum.

  
He summoned up his courage, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

  
The breath was instantly knocked out of him.

  
Calum was wearing the same suit jacket and white shirt as the picture on Luke's phone, and he looked absolutely gorgeous, but that wasn't what blew Luke away. Because this gorgeous man was standing at his door with a bundle of fresh flowers in his hands. He was the first person who had ever brought Luke flowers.

  
They were beautiful, full white calla lilies delicately held together with paper and a burlap bow. The only thing more beautiful than the flowers was the way Calum was smiling, nervous and hopeful.

  
“I read somewhere that calla means “the most beautiful” in Greek. I don't know if that's true.” He said instead of saying hello. “And then the white lilies represent, you know, -”

  
Luke never found out what they represented, because he stepped forward, taking the flowers in his hand and moving them aside so that he had more room to sling his arm over Calum's neck and make him shut up. He kissed him hard, pressing their chests flat against each other, like he wanted to be a part of him.

  
He broke the kiss for a moment because he was smiling, and he curled his fingers around the soft curls at the nape of Calum's neck. He kissed him again, softer, and relaxed in his arms.

  
He kept kissing him, right in the hallway where anyone in the building could walk by and see. He didn't care. He didn't stop until there was an audible cough from somewhere behind him.

  
“Babe, can you go check the door? I think it's wide open and letting all the cold in.” Ashton's voice was loud and very obvious, even though he was all the way in the kitchen.

  
Luke giggled and pulled away, looking at Calum, who looked breathless.

  
“We should get inside before Michael comes stomping in here.” He murmured, half against his will. If it was up to him they would stay in the hallway, kissing and shivering in the December night air.

  
Calum smiled again, pulling Luke's hand down from around his neck and intertwining their fingers.

  
“You lead the way.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @onotherflights.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, it's been a while! My holidays were a lot more fun-packed than I expected them to be, which is a good thing I guess. 
> 
>  
> 
> I'm finally updating, and even better It's two chapters! I hope everyone who’s been waiting enjoys the “big huge secret” finally revealed at the end of this update. Also a huge thanks to everyone who comments every chapter, it keeps me going! I'll save all further ramblings for the end note. Enjoy! Xx

“So Calum,tell us. What are your intentions with our son Luke?”

  
Fresh white calla lilies were in a clear glass vase filled with water on the center of the table. Ashton and Michael were seated on one side of the table, with Calum and Luke sitting across from them. There were the sounds of silverware clinking against plates, of nervous laughter and small talk. Calum rested his hand easily on Luke's thigh. Luke couldn’t stop looking over at him and smiling softly, finding it hard to believe that someone actually made it this far. But if anyone had to, he’s glad it's Calum.

  
At the sound of Michael's question, Ashton rolls his eyes but Calum laughs easily, rubbing his hand down Luke's thigh affectionately.

  
“My only intentions are to make him happy.”

  
Michael frowns a little bit as he chews. “Well, that's boring.” He mumbles.

  
“Boring is good.” Ashton quickly interjects. It was the stage of the dinner, about midway through, when Ashton had finished his first proper glass of wine (he'd surely had some while cooking) and has poured in ‘just a little more for dessert’. In other words, it was about to get interesting.

  
“Things have been tense lately,” he continues, his voice drawing out his words, resting his pink-tinted cheek in the palm of his hand with his elbow on the table. “But I'm really glad you've come around and everything Lulu said about you was true.”

  
Calum made a mental note of the nickname, looking at his younger boyfriend with a playful smirk. Luke only blushed and took a sip of his own wine. He would punch Ashton's arm later for that one.

  
It had all been easy, easier than Luke would have thought. He didn't know what he was nervous about, because as they had closed the front door, Ashton and Michael came into the hallway. Ashton was in proper hosting mode, instantly welcoming Calum into their home. Luke nearly held his breath when he saw Ashton going in for the hug like he always did, worrying that Calum might have offered his hand and created an awkward situation. Thankfully, he opened his arms for Ashton and then Michael, and any invisible layer of tension dissipated.

  
Now they were all sitting around the small dining table, eating and drinking and laughing at little anecdotes, many of which were at Luke's expense.

  
It's all comfortable, and Luke can't help but feel that Calum must have a power for it, to just bring ease and coziness into any room he walks into. It was certainly working now, if they were alone he could picture crawling over to sit in Calum's lap; he would let his head rest securely under Calum's chin, let himself be held.

  
Ashton is comfortably warm too, although that may have something to do with his fondness for wine. Ashton was the type to get very dreamy and wistful when he drank. That's why when he goes to pour himself a third glassful of “dessert”, Michael gently moves the bottle away from him, taking it in his hand and setting it down on the other side of the table next to Luke.

  
“I think you've had enough for tonight, darling.”

  
“But babe,” Ashton whines, slumping his face against his open palm until his glasses are just a tiny bit crooked where they rest on the bridge of his nose. “I deserve it, after all I've been through this week at work.”

  
Luke looks down at his food guiltily. He still felt like if maybe he hadn't gotten in the way, Ryland wouldn't treat Ashton like he did. Sure, some of the other clients could exhibit some diva behavior, but from the bits he'd heard over the last few weeks, it seemed it was Ryland's personal mission to make everyone working for him miserable, and it was still their job to help him gain success. And in Ashton's industry, it was way too risky to screw someone over just because they were a jerk.

  
“Oh yeah, Luke mentioned you work in PR.” Calum commented, taking a sip from his own glass.

  
“Yes, but I'm basically a porn star,” Ashton drawled. “With all the dicks I work with every day.”

  
They all laughed, and Michael just pulled Ashton against his chest, kissing the top of his head affectionately. “Don't worry, babe. By the time we’re married the band will have blown up and you can quit and become a full time house-husband.”

  
Ashton smiles at that, leaning up to kiss Michael's cheek.

  
“Enough about me though. So what about Calum?” He says as he turns back to the couple sitting across the table. “What does he do?”

  
Both Ashton and Michael look at Luke for the answer. At the attention being directed on him, he freezes up, suddenly realizing he never asked, even after Ashton told him he should. Somewhere between sleeping on satin sheets and waking up to count the colors in the sunrise with Calum, he'd forgotten to bring it up.

  
“Um, me?” He questions, still a deer in the headlights at the confrontation. Was it smart to do half the things Luke had done with Calum before even knowing how he made a living? Probably not. But Luke was always the type to think of consequences later. Apparently now was one of those time his carelessness came back to bite him, because he truly didn't know the answer.

  
“Well, obviously.” Michael deadpans, and Ashton blinks twice then giggles against the younger man's neck. Luke is too stunned to appreciate the joke. Calum chuckled nervously as he sits next to him, but then cleared his throat to answer.

  
“I dabble in a lot of things,” he starts. “But, um, I guess the easiest way to describe what i do is that I'm a co-owner of a fashion house.”

  
Simultaneously, all three other people at the table say “Really?!” In varying degrees of surprise.

  
Luke is only half-surprised, oddly enough. It wasn't what he would've guessed, but the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Everything in Calum's house is beautiful, including him, so it only makes sense that Calum is always around beautiful things.

  
“Yeah, I'm one of three. Our brand is called Evolve, it's like a luxury athleisure brand.” He says it so casually, like it's not anything to be proud of. “It's, you know, trendy. It sells.”

  
He pauses, like he's considering sharing more, then just lets it spill. “But we all have our own side projects that we’re really passionate about.”

  
Ashton nods, a soft smile on his face. “That's beautiful, Calum.” Luke huffs out a laugh, tipsy Ashton is always interesting to watch.

  
Still, Luke can't help but think about it. It explains a lot, explains the t-shirt that's currently on his back and why Calum has a ton of similar ones. Luke wonders if he's offended Calum by not realizing, in truth he'd never heard about that brand. In other truths, Luke wasn't that into fashion. He didn't even know “athleisure” was a word, or that it was apparently trendy.

  
For his part, Michael was looking rarely serious, his brows furrowed. Luke peered at him over the rim of his wine glass, wondering what he was thinking about all of a sudden.

  
“Wait," he said, garnering all of their attention. “You're not _that_ Calum Hood are you?” Michael speaks up, narrowing his eyes at the older man.

  
With the question directed at him, Calum chuckles softly. “Depends on who’s asking.”

  
“You totally are!” The bleached blonde exclaims. “Dude, your line isn't just a side project, it's _art_.”

  
Calum laughs softly, taking a sip of his wine. “Well thank you, not many people see it that way.” He says humbly.

  
“What are you talking about, babe?” Ashton raises an eyebrow.

  
Luke is looking at Calum now, looking over his profile. It’s such a rare thing to see Calum looking nervous, like he doesn't have complete control of a situation. It's there now, because no matter how hard Luke stared, Calum doesn't turn his head and offer a comforting smile. His hand is still resting on Luke's thigh, and just a moment ago his thumb was rubbing back and forth where it rested. Now it's still. He's nervous.

  
“I, uh, I design another line for our company, it's our lingerie line. It's not a huge thing.”

  
Luke swears he can see Calum blush. All this time he's known Calum, he's never known him to be bashful, certainly not about anything related to sex. Luke focuses on that, because if he didn't he would probably overload. It's one thing to learn your boyfriend has a really cool job, it's another thing entirely to learn he has a really sexy job.

  
“He's being casual about it.” Michael adds excitedly. “It's like Victoria's Secret on crack, they even have a fashion show every year. It's the first male-inclusive lingerie brand.”

  
Luke whips his head over to look at Michael. Did he just hear him right? _Male-inclusive?_

  
“Not the first.” Calum says softly, a small smile creeping on the corners of his lips. “Just the most successful.”

  
“With good reason,” The blonde praises. “It's fucking amazing.”

  
“Well, that's beautiful Calum.” Ashton repeats, smiling from his place leaning into Michael. “But hey,” he says after a moment, looking up at his partner. “How do you know so much about this, anyway?”

  
No one misses the way Michael’s eyes widen visibly, the _oh shit I said too much_ look etched onto his face.

  
“Just, uh, saw it on Twitter this one day.” He says lamely. “Anyway, should probably get started on these dishes.” He kisses Ashton's forehead and gets up, collecting everyone's empty plates and making a run for the kitchen.

  
Ashton just shrugs nonchalantly and takes the last sip of his beloved wine. Just as he opens his mouth to change the subject, his own eyes widen.

  
“I forgot the cheesecake!” He exclaims, getting up from the table as well and padding just as quickly towards the kitchen.

  
Once they're alone, Calum deflates, a tension in his shoulders dropping.

  
He looks at Luke, hoping he'll say something, anything, that reassures him.

  
Only, Luke doesn't know what to say. He’s thinking about a hundred things at once. He tries to picture Calum in his studio, designing. What does that look like? What is his vision, his muse? What is it that makes Michael say that what Calum creates is art, is ‘amazing’? And how did Luke not know about it all, and what does that say about their relationship?

  
Another part of him, an uglier part, is picturing Calum surrounded by beautiful models, both women and men, wearing next to nothing. Does he want them, maybe more than he wants someone like Luke?

  
“Luke, I just-” Calum tries, but he's cut off.

  
“It's okay,” Luke smiles softly, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on Calum's lips. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  
Luke starts to pull away but Calum wraps his arm around his waist and keeps him close, tilting his head and kissing Luke harder. Luke can't help but smile into it, the feeling of Calum's hand on his cheek and the way he's kissing him like it's a need rather than something they both crave.

  
It's funny, Luke thinks to himself. They're stealing kisses like teenagers once his parents have left the room.

  
Luke still has questions, thoughts that will surely keep him up at night, but more than anything he is even more sure of his feelings. He decides then and there that no matter what this new information leads to, Calum is his. It's what they had promised to each other, and Luke won't let anything, or anyone, break that promise.

 

  
Ashton announces his re-entrance into the room loudly, and even then Luke holds the kiss when Calum tries to pull away.

  
He does though, and they're sporting matching smiles as Ashton sets down the cake and unpauses the conversation.

  
The actual dessert is fine, Luke sharing a slice of cake with Calum and only half paying attention to the conversation Ashton has started. Something about travel, Michael's tour maybe. He only started listening again when Ashton asked if Calum's job meant he had to travel a lot.

  
“You know, for fashion week and things.” Ashton explained, and Luke raised an eyebrow as Calum nodded easily. So, it was that big a deal after all.

  
“It’s not a huge brand, very small market.” He says, forever humble. “But we do travel for the show every year. And I used to travel a lot just for myself. Easier to get inspired.”

  
“What place inspires you the most?” Ashton questions dreamily.

  
Calum looks right at Luke.

  
“It used to be Paris, but we’ll see where spring takes me.”

  
Ashton gives a loud “awww!” and can't contain his smile. Michael walks back into the room unknowingly, greeted with a demand from Ashton the moment he steps through the door.

  
“Mikey, will you take me to Paris?”

  
Michael just chuckled, taking his seat beside Ashton and reaching for a slice of the cheesecake. “Better get this one to bed soon, he's clearly delusional.”

 

 

 

  
After dessert was finished and it was time to go home, it felt more like parting with old friends than someone who was practically a stranger meeting an established friendship group for the first time. If Ashton’s goodbye hug was a little too long, Calum didn't act like he was bothered.

  
“I'll just take him to his car.” Luke said, trying to be subtle about the fact he just wanted another excuse to kiss his boyfriend.

  
Ashton nods from his place leaning against the doorway of the kitchen as he watched the pair move towards the door at the end of the front hallway.

  
“Thank you again for coming, it was lovely to meet you.” He said warmly. Michael appears behind him, wrapping his arms affectionately around the older boy’s middle, resting his head on Ashton's shoulder.

  
“Yeah, nice to meet you man,” Michael adds, “Maybe we can get tickets to the show this year, hmm?” He smiled hopefully.

  
Ashton frowns, as if picturing how Michael around a bunch of nearly naked people would go. He lifts up Michael's hand and kisses the back of it before intertwining their fingers.

  
“Not a chance, babe.”

  
Luke just rolls his eyes, pulling Calum towards the front door.

  
“Thanks for having me!” Calum called over his shoulder, following Luke out into the hallway.

  
Luke closed the door behind them, his gears already turning.

  
He only had one thing on his mind, so he held onto Calum's hand tight.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sinful enjoy :-)

Silence fell as soon as they walked into the hallway. There wasn't any sort of angry tension in the air, but there was definitely anticipation. He said they would talk about it later, and it was later.

  
Luke had made it clear that he wasn't upset, but Calum still had no clue what Luke was thinking, and surely his rain was coming up with a lot of possible answers. Luke stayed neutral, he wanted Calum to wonder for a bit, his mind to wander.

  
Anticipation only made it better.

  
They walked to the end of the hallway without saying a word to each other, just walking side by side and holding hands. When they reached the stairwell, Calum started walking over to it, expecting to ascend down the flights of stairs to get back to his car. However Luke stopped in front of the elevator, pressing the ‘down’ button. If Calum had any reservations about the old elevator, its doors eerily creaking open when it had come up to the correct floor, he didn't say anything. He just followed Luke inside and leaned against the wood-paneling on the wall, seperating their hands.

  
Luke pressed the button for the ground floor and then stepped back, facing away from Calum.

  
Luke's mind was racing as the elevator slowly closed its doors. He was thinking of what to say, thinking of how Calum would react. His heart was racing, because for the first time in a long time, he didn't know if what he was about to do would upset Calum. He liked to play as much as Calum did, but the last thing he wanted to do was push him too far.

  
As soon as the creaking stopped and the doors were sealed, Calum spoke up.

  
“Baby, look at me. We should talk.”

  
Luke looked over his shoulder,eyeing Calum up and down. He reached his hand out and pressed the stop button, even though it was quite a risk in this particular elevator.

  
He faced Calum, but didn't move any closer.

  
Calum sighed. “Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”

  
He looked down at his shoes, and that was strange for Calum. He wasn't shy, not ever. He had been awfully shy that night. Luke needed that to change.

  
“I'm not ashamed, quite proud actually. I just didn't know how you would react, it hasn't always been a pleasant reaction when I've told people in the past. And I just, I didn't want to share that if it was going to change anything between us and I've kept my work separate for so long-”

  
Calum paused, because Luke stepped forward all of a sudden. Brown eyes tracked Luke's hand as it came up from his side and gently landed against his lower chest, laying flat. Luke leaned in, against Calum, until he was close enough to whisper in his ear.

  
“What color do you want to see me wear first?”

  
Calum let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, the tension in his chest flowing out under the soft hand pressed to it.

  
“What?” He replied, and it was the closest to a desperate whine Luke had ever heard from him. He'd heard the younger boy loud and clear, but it was like he couldn't believe what he had heard. Luke looked at him, watching his eyes turn darker as images of what that would look like danced in his mind.

  
“I'm sure you have ideas,” Luke mused, kissing his jawline sweetly, hoping to distract from the way his hand was creeping down, falling from his chest and venturing down further until he was tracing his fingers lightly over the bulge at the front of Calum's pants. He definitely noticed, because he looked away from Luke's eyes to look down at where his hand was. “Maybe i’d like a pretty pink one, with a bow on the back of course.”

  
Calum inhaled harshly, watching as Luke laid his hand flat and was now blatantly rubbing over him, his half-hard cock only getting harder the more Luke murmured his thoughts in his ear.

  
“Or maybe black lace, against my soft white skin. I can picture it already, leaking through them, your hands pushing them aside to fuck me.”

  
He only pressed harder, and his pride swelling with the way Calum is reacted. He could tell he'd caught him off guard, because he was practically holding his breath, but his hands were shaking by his sides like he didn't know what to do with them. Normally, those hands would be all over Luke.

  
Maybe he hadn't expected Luke to have a positive reaction to the news. He'd intended to tell him first, he really had, but how was he to know one of Luke’s roommates would call him out like that?

  
“Luke-” he grits out, like a warning. He's fully hard in his pants now, but Luke doesn't stop, whispering filthily in his ear and trying to push him over the edge.

  
“So, what panties do you want to see me wear first? I'll let you pick.”

  
Something about that breaks Calum, and he finally moves. He grips Luke's wrists, stopping his motions. Luke looks at him, and it's intoxicating. He may have had the upper hand for a moment, but it was fading fast. Now it was Luke who was shaking, eyes half-shut as he looked from where Calum was holding him back to his eyes.

  
“Please,” he whimpered softly. He wasn't quite sure what it was he was begging for. For Calum to touch him, to take him right there in the elevator? Or, he could play dirty too. Calum had every right to tease Luke the way Luke had been teasing him. After all, they loved to play.

  
But with the stern look on his eyes and the way he was gripping Luke's wrists so tight, it didn't seem like he was in the mood for much teasing.

  
“Get on your knees.”

  
Luke scrambled to obey, to _submit_ , and sunk to his knees, never taking his eyes off Calum's.

  
Calum let go of his wrists, watching them fall back to Luke's sides. Luke tried to lift them and get to Calum's belt buckle, but another command stopped him.

  
“Behind your back.”

  
Luke nodded, locking his arms together behind his back. He watched with greedy eyes as Calum unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, pushing his briefs down with them.

  
Calum looked down at Luke on his knees, stroking his dick lazily. Luke was watching, looking back up at him desperately.

  
“Please, Cal.” He whined again, shifting on his knees anxiously, his mouth practically watering.

  
“Please what? What do you want, baby?” Calum smirked.

  
Luke leaned forward, closing his eyes and kissing Calum's hipbone affectionately. He rubbed his face against Calum's arm where it was moving as he kept touching himself. Luke looked up with his prettiest eyes, pouting his lips out just a little bit.

  
“Please fuck my face.” He murmured innocently.

  
Calum looked away from him like he was mad, huffing out a breath of hot air.

  
“Show me you can take it.”

  
Luke narrowed his eyes, watching Calum with his fist still wrapped around his dick. He waited, sitting on his knees and patient, until Calum looked back at him.

  
“Well, what can you do with that pretty mouth?” Calum murmured, looking down at Luke hungrily. He let go of his dick and Luke broke eye contact just so he could look without Calum's hand blocking his view. His expression instantly changed and he put his prettiest eyes back on.

  
He looked back up at Calum, making sure he was being watched as he carefully leaned forward, taking the head of Calum's dick into his mouth. He sucked at the tip, slowly hollowing his cheeks and going down about halfway before sliding back up and letting go with a pop. He gave tiny licks along the shaft, all the while looking up at Calum with shining blue eyes.

  
“Like this?” He questioned softly, suckling at the head.

  
Calum's patience was cracking now, because they both knew Luke was playing. He could deep throat like he was born doing it, so the idea of him only being able to get half of Calum's dick in his mouth was ridiculous.

  
Calum reached out his hand, grabbing Luke's jaw and holding him still. He rolled his hips slowly, Luke's tongue laying flat to rub along the underside of Calum’s cock, along the veins. His pretty eyes started to flutter closed, and he hummed softly, content with the heavy weight in his mouth and the slow slide, Calum rubbing his thumb affectionately against his cheek.

  
Even though he loved to tease, Luke's only goal in the end was to please Calum. It just so happened that knowing he was pleasing Calum, that he was being good, turned him on even more. That's probably how he found himself on his knees with his hands behind his back in a shitty elevator, hard in his jeans and moaning at the feeling of Calum using him to get off.

  
His eyes lit up when Calum started going faster with no warning, really fucking Luke's face, to the point where Luke was overwhelmed because it felt so good but he couldn't touch himself. It wasn't fair, Calum had gotten to touch himself.

  
Even though it was a lot, Luke could take it like a champ, and they both knew it. So when Luke started to tear up from the intensity of it, Calum just smirked down at him.

  
Luke let the tears roll down his cheek, and moaned when Calum brushed them away with his thumbs. He batted his wet lashes and looked up at Calum, even though he knew he was a mess with his flushed face and teary eyes. For some reason it only spurred Calum on more, his free hand roaming softly through Luke's hair and resting on the nape of his neck when he fucked into his mouth.

  
Luke just kept looking up at him, because with his hands behind his back it was all he could do. Calum was just using Luke's mouth to get himself off, and all Luke could do was take it. But the thing was, he loved it. Luke barely noticed when he came in his pants untouched, like the desperate teenager he still technically was. He didn't falter or shake at all, just kept moaning and screaming out inside his head, fresh tears springing from his eyes.

  
He loved the way Calum was so visibly affected, having to look away from Luke, huff out breaths of disbelief that this was happening. He loved the way Calum eventually gripped tighter onto his hair, like trying to grasp at straws. He loved the way he threw his head back against the wall of the elevator and closed his eyes and just fucked.

  
He loved the way it was all him, he had gotten Calum riled up that way. He loved the way his name slipped out after a curse word, both of them tumbling from Calum's full lips and enveloped in the rough moan that followed.

  
He loved the taste of Calum as it landed on his tongue, not letting one drop go to waste as he swallowed easily. He loved the way Calum instantly relaxed after that, looking blissful, all traces of fear or anxiety or ego fading away. He loved the way he looked down at him like it was Calum that was on his knees, ready to worship.

  
He loved the way Calum looked down at him with adoration highlighting his cheeks and affection lining his eyes, a soft kiss waiting on his lips. His touch on Luke's skin was instantly gentle, carefully slipping his body away from Luke's mouth. He rubbed over Luke's shiny bottom lip, and helped him to his feet just so that he could wrap his arms around Luke and give Luke his kiss on that same spot.

  
More tears fell down Luke's cheeks, and he knew what was happening. He loved Calum, everything he did and every inch of him. He loved him so much, but it was too early to say it. Luke had been the first to say it every time, and it seemed that those three little words were a curse, and as soon as they were murmured they started to fade.

  
Luke couldn't tell him, so he tried his best to show him in the way he kissed him and held on to him. He thought that maybe Calum already knew.

  
“Shhh, I got you baby.” Calum comforted, wiping Luke's tears with his thumbs and kissing his cheeks. “Was I too rough? Kind of got lost a bit there.”

  
Luke shook his head quickly, despite his aching throat. He laid his head on Calum's shoulder, smiling contently when he felt a familiar hand crawling beneath his shirt, fingertips moving against his skin. “It felt good.” He murmured, almost to himself.

  
“I'm sorry,” Calum started, dipping his head to kiss the top of Luke's. “I should have told you. Just thought it was a bit much, on top of everything else. Not many people know, to most I just own part of Evolve, if they even know my name. I don't exactly tell my mum I also do lingerie.”

  
He says it all in a rush, and Luke has never known Calum to be in a rush for anything. And it was a lot to take in, because now it felt like there was this whole other life that Calum had been waiting to share, but now it was out there. Luke didn't want Calum to feel embarrassed, like he had to hide that side of him, he wanted him to be proud. If he had any resolution for the new year, he was going to make Calum proud of himself, and of Luke.

  
Oh, and he would tell him that he loved him.

  
“If you'd have told me I could've been dressing for you the whole time.” Luke said, muffled against the fabric of Calum's shirt.

  
Calum huffed out a soft laugh. “If only I knew it would be so well received. It hasn't always been.”

  
Luke hummed, turning his head to kiss along Calum's jaw, like he had in the beginning.

  
“Do you wear them too?” He wondered aloud. The thought alone could send Luke into overdrive, he might actually explode.

  
“No,” he laughed easily, rubbing his tired face, trying to hide his smile. “I design for others. But the idea of you in my work… that's something I would love to see.”

  
Luke nodded sleepily, and Calum pulled him closer, slotting his leg between Luke's, holding him up.

  
“Why aren't you still hard?” Calum questioned softly, rutting up against him lightly. “Was going to return the favor.”

  
Luke giggled airily, reaching down to unbutton and unzip his jeans, unceremoniously grabbing Calum's hand and leading it past the waistband of his jeans.

  
“Oh,” he said softly, feeling the wet spot in Luke's underwear. He only sounded a little disappointed, and kissed Luke's cheek.

  
“Sorry.” Luke murmured.

  
“It's alright angel,” Calum murmured, taking his hand away and letting it roam across Luke's hip, then sliding down to grip his ass over the denim fabric. “You'll just have to ask permission next time.”

  
A spike of interest ran down Luke's spine, but he was still sleepy and his mind was overwhelmed and just the smallest bit love-fucked, so he didn't comment on it. After savoring another moment of cuddling, he stepped back and zipped his jeans back up.

  
“We should probably get out of this thing before it drops us to our death.”

  
Calum was in a rare, quiet mood. He didn't argue with that, just watched as Luke pressed the button and held him close as the elevator shook back to life, bringing them down for a few seconds before opening its creaking doors.

  
As they walked to Calum's car, he put his hand in the back pocket of Luke's jeans, keeping his arm around him possessively.

  
Luke found himself pressed against the driver’s side door of the Audi not long after, his arms tangled possessively over Calum's shoulders, his head tilted at the perfect angle for Calum to fit against him and kiss him deeply.

  
It was kind of like being a teenager again, at least a slightly younger teenager. When he was seventeen he would let boys kiss him against their cars, eager breath and bitten lips when they would mark up his neck. Not much had changed, except none of those boys drove an Audi and more importantly, none of those boys knew how to love Luke the way that Calum did. And Luke hadn't loved those boys in the all-consuming way he was falling in love with Calum.

  
He thought maybe he could tell him then, but then he thought again. He didn't want to say it when he was leaving.

  
“I've got to go.” Calum murmured quietly as he broke away, as if he had heard Luke's thoughts.

  
“Don't,” Luke replied simply, eyes still on full lips. “Sleep in my bed tonight.”

  
Calum chuckled softly, but he didn't refuse Luke's offer. “Raincheck. I have to work.”

  
He kissed Luke's forehead and switched them around so that he was able to get into his car. Luke stepped back onto the sidewalk with a soft sigh, a little smile on his lips as Calum rolled down the window.

  
“I'll miss you.” Luke said quietly, but enough for Calum to hear him.

  
The older man smiled, shaking his head fondly. “You won't have time to miss me, I'll be here Friday night to pick you up, after your present arrives.”

  
“Present?” Luke wonders aloud, but Calum doesn't give anything away, just his signature smirk as he starts his car, the engine roaring to life and with it; the deep indie rock music that he always seems to be listening to. It turns Luke on to see him like that, but when does anything Calum does not affect Luke? He wonders if he turns himself on sometimes, the way he sits back in the driver's seat on that soft leather, legs spread out comfortably and one hand gripping the steering wheel, controlling it with ease. The other hand, the hand that's meant to be resting on Luke's inner thigh, just sits alone easily next to him. He wonders if on the long drives home, Calum ever thinks about Luke, thinks about them together, Luke's moans complementing the steady baseline of the music he listens to.

  
Just as Luke's about to get into real trouble, thickening up in his jeans again, Calum starts to pull away. Something about him leaving brings Luke out of his fog, and he calls out one last question. It seems important enough, but Luke realizes it wasn't mentioned at dinner or on the elevator.

  
“Hey, what is the name of the line anyway?”

  
Calum pauses, pulled out of the parking space and parallel to Luke. He's put his car back in drive and is just holding down the brake. The moment he lets go he'll speed off towards the highway. But just then, he pauses, and looks Luke up and down with the same eyes he had when they first met. Luke's seen those eyes plenty of times, and even when he hasn't been able to see them he could almost feel them. The way he was looking at him now, like he was looking right through him and then putting him back again, it made Luke want to drop to his knees all over again.

  
But he didn't, waiting instead for Calum's reply. And he got it, one word before Calum's foot moved from the break.

  
“ _Pure_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! It's finally out. The story completely expands from this point and I'm still loving this story ten chapters in as I did when I first started writing Guys My Age. I can't wait to share the rest with you all. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, happy new year everyone! I have so much planned for this year. Not only for this story, but some other works I'm already drafting. For those who read my annoying end notes, here’s what's coming; a mashton spin off of this verse because I couldn't resist, a few one-shots, and even a new fandom to write for because I'm Yuri on ice trash and if anyone ships otayuri I got you!! I'm so excited to write this year, I have so many goals, so I'm hoping everyone is just as happy and enjoys everything as much as I enjoy writing it all :) x


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, um, this is awkward. It's been a while. I honestly feel like half the people who read this story gave up on this ever updating/finishing. I'm sincerely sorry it took so long for me to update/finish, i made a long post about it and what writing this meant to me [(here) ](http://onotherflights.tumblr.com/post/158960160817/long-ass-post-warning)so feel free to read that. 
> 
> Also, if you're one of my YOI people, I love you and I hope you didn't get confused by this update. I will be back to writing my YOI trash soon. 
> 
> Have fun everyone x 
> 
> (Note: this was originally supposed to finish in December, that's why they're having Christmas lol)

  
  


As promised, Calum's present arrived Friday morning. 

It was the first thing Luke saw when he woke up, mostly because Michael was the one to bring it into his room. He had been sleeping peacefully in his bed, when Michael put the box down on the unused side and shook him awake not so gently.  

“What the fuck, Mikey?” Luke groaned, frowning as he peeked out from the top of his duvet. Then he saw the familiar box, a luxurious matte black with a thin white ribbon tied around it.  

“You better be glad we like you.” The bleached-blonde joked, his hair still messy. He was sure to return to Ashton's arms as soon as he was done playing mail-carrier. “We could've just sold it online, made a killing.”  

“Go away!” Luke laughed, sitting up in his bed with a huge smile. He had almost forgotten about the promise of his present, but he automatically knew what to expect at the sight of the box.  

After Calum had left on Wednesday night after their dinner, Luke had raced up to his room to do his research. Ashton and Michael didn't seem to mind that he had been gone for a long while, they were already in their bedroom. Luke went straight to his laptop and started typing. It was truly one for the records of idiocy that Luke had no clue what Calum's career was. To be fair, it wasn't something he would have guessed just going on appearances and base knowledge.  

The first thing he looked up was the main brand’s website. It was interesting enough, a lot of black and white, very minimalist and modern. Like Calum said, trendy. Luke could see where Calum got his easy style from, how he always looked so damn good even in the simplest pieces. He found a few gems there, a lookbook section featuring Calum only three pages in. So, he was a model too. Casual, no need to mention that at dinner. Luke bookmarked the pages he was featured on for later reference. 

There was an instagram page, photos of the newest clothes and pictures people had submitted featuring them wearing the brand. All very chill, very L.A. There was even a picture of Calum and his two partners, all smiles and holding some type of award Luke didn't recognize. His partners were an older man and woman, easily in their forties or fifties. If they weren't both white, it might have looked like Calum was their son. 

After some investigation, Luke finally found a link called “supported brands”. He clicked there, and found several logos, all black against the stark white background of the website. Right in the middle, in simple thin font, was one word.  _ Pure _ . 

Luke clicked it quickly, falling right down the rabbit hole. 

The first thing that came up on the homepage was a picture that was obviously from a photo shoot. Male and female models, all different hues of skin and all of them unfailingly stunning, sprawled across a purple velvet sofa and across one another. They all wore identical black lace bodysuits, and the fabric seemed to perfectly blend into each skin tone as if it were just a layer of lace, and yet everything was covered. Luke was already intrigued by this act of magic. 

Ashton found him that way, in the same way he'd found him only a couple of months ago when he was searching Tumblr blogs looking for someone to dominate him. Well, he'd found that and much more. 

He's half naked, but that doesn't deter him in any way from crawling into the unused side of Luke's bed and resting his head on a bare shoulder, eyes scrolling in time with Luke. They're quiet, only a few comments here and there about how a piece looks.  

In truth, it was more than Luke was ever expecting. Once you get past the fact that the models are gorgeous, the pieces themselves are something else. They're edgy, modern, and of course completely sexy. There's a bodysuit with so many straps and zippers Luke thinks that maybe the sex would be over by the time whoever wears that thing actually gets it off. 

Then there are things that are more classic and timeless, pale lace nighties and powder blue silk panties with eyelet trim. 

The boy modeling the blue panties has dark blonde hair like he does, and he's looking over his shoulder at the camera coyly. 

For a flashing moment, and because he's probably delirious at that time of night, Luke thinks that he wants to be him. He has no blindness to the fact Calum has probably slept with one of these models at some point, maybe even taken them to his bed and held them down like he did to Luke. Did they get the blindfold? 

It doesn't matter, and he rattles the thoughts out of his head with a new resolve replacing them. 

He wants to be the one modeling Calum’s work. Selfishly, he wants to be the only one.

 

Ashton's yawn startles him out of his newest resolution. 

“Shouldn't you be pillow talking right about now?” Luke murmurs, shutting his laptop and placing it on his nightstand, then turning to Ashton to cuddle with him like he'd just noticed he was there. He'd been there for an hour, but Luke was busy researching, obviously. 

“I'll have to pillow talk with you, Lukey. My future husband fell asleep on me.” 

Luke nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “You can sleep in here if you want to.” 

Ashton smiled fondly but shook his head gently. “No, I have to go back to him or he’ll wake up anxious. He's been that way lately, around me.” 

“He's nervous for tour.” Luke muttered, and Ashton nodded. 

“He always is,” Ashton sighs. “I tell him all the time, he doesn't have anything to worry about, they've worked so hard for this. They deserve it, I've seen it.” 

“Yeah,” Luke agrees softly. “We all deserve to be happy.”

It's too early in the morning to make sense, so Ashton doesn't call him on it. He just kisses his forehead and tucks him in. 

“Goodnight, Lukey.” He called as he left the room.

  
  
  


Luke is sitting on his bed Friday morning, heart pounding and a sleek black box in his lap. He knows what it is, and he has to be careful.  

He uses a box cutter to carefully remove the tape, and he wants to keep the box. Hopefully it's only the first of many. 

He takes a deep breath and opens the lid. He's waiting to see those words, the brand logo he'd seen on so many boxes while doing his research the night before - “pure perfection, pure love, pure fantasy.” 

Only, as he opened his eyes and looked at the white font printed against the inside of the lid, he was surprised. It didn't have the traditional logo. 

Instead, it was  _ Merry Christmas, Angel  _ printed in the white text. 

It wasn't a set available for purchase on the website. It was a custom set. 

Caution thrown to the wind, Luke pushed the white paper aside and audibly gasped at what he found. 

Pure, white lace. Hand- sewn beading. A huge, soft blue bow on the back of the panties that matched his eyes. 

It looked beautiful in the box, but it was even more stunning when it was on Luke.  

He had rushed out of his bed and stripped in order to put it on immediately, and he was shocked. Both pieces fit perfectly, no awkward bulges like he had been expecting. 

He walked over to the mirror, mouth dropped slightly open in shock. 

He wasn't used to seeing himself like this, the way Calum saw him. Calum had pictured him while making this, he's sewn each bead with Luke in mind, memorized the shape of him to make sure it fit perfectly. 

Luke let his fingertips graze over his collarbones, and then along the straps of the bralette. He went down, touching over his nipples through the soft lace. His hands fell to his sides and he looked over his body. He's always been lanky, and pale. He used to think those were ugly characteristics, but it had changed. Especially when he looked like he did now — elegant and lithe and well, _beautiful_.   

He looked like an angel. 

He turned around and looked over his shoulder, staring at his backside in the reflection. The bow sat perfectly on the top of his ass, complementing the slight curves he did have. 

With this, he felt more like Calum’s present than anything. 

He decided then, he wasn't letting this go to waste. 

He was going to keep it on, wear it underneath his clothes. He'd be wearing it when Calum picked him up for their date that night. 

He'd be wearing it until Calum took it off of him. 

  
  
  
  
  


Luke had never been one to get inebriated, he never got drunk to the point that he didn't know where he was or what he was meant to be doing. 

At least, that was the case with alcohol. Kissing Calum was a completely different story. In the very back of his mind, he knew they were standing in the doorway of his apartment, and he was meant to be walking downstairs to the car, on the way to a candlelit dinner. 

None of that mattered, however, when the wet slide of Calum’s tongue against his own felt so good. He had his arms wrapped possessively around Calum’s neck, and they were going to be late if they couldn't stop. 

“Don't you two have reservations or something?” Michael reminded them from the sofa, not looking away from the TV with his game controller in one hand and the other grabbing chips from a bowl. 

Rationally, Luke could hear Michael, and he knew he was right, but he just couldn't physically connect with the idea. Physically, he was inclined to the idea of pulling Calum down to the floor and forgetting about the date all together. 

Maybe that's why they had been dating for months and had never been on an official, public date. It was all Luke's fault for being such a needy little minx.  

To be fair though, Calum wasn't helping. His hands had slipped beneath Luke's shirt to hold his waist as they kissed, falling into the dip of his lower back. Luke's heart was beating like a drum, because of Calum moved his hands just slightly up or down, he would be able to feel a familiar lace under his hands. Luke knew if that happened the date would definitely be off, and Michael would have to run out of the room if he wanted to avoid seeing graphic things.

They finally pulled apart to breathe and Calum put a hand over Luke's chest, stopping him from pulling back in. 

“He's right, we should go.” He kissed his forehead chastely and then stepped back. “Just go tell Ashton goodbye for the weekend and I'll wait here.” 

With a thanks and one last quick peck, Luke forced himself to walk away. His heart was still recovering from the greeting. Just the thought of Calum touching him through the lace, the set that had been made perfectly for him, it drove Luke wild. 

He quietly closed the door to Ashton and Michael's room behind him, taking a deep breath and leaning against the wall. 

“You alright there or did you jizz your pants again?” Ashton questioned, not looking up from his laptop. 

“I hate you.” Luke mumbled, with no actual bite to his voice. “But I came in here to tell you goodbye for the weekend and I love you.” 

Wordlessly, Ashton pat the spot next to him on the bed, and Luke had down quietly and leaned his head on the older man’s shoulder, watching Ashton scroll on his laptop. It felt a lot like when they were looking at Calum’s designs online, only Ashton was looking at something else.  

He was looking at wedding bands. 

“Um, Ash, why are we looking at rings?” Luke pondered. 

“Oh, I'm going to propose to Michael.” He said casually, like it had been on his mind for a while. “I told you, but you were sleeping.” 

It's not like it's a total shock to Luke. He'd known full well that Ashton had found his person, that it was for the long haul. But, he'd been saying that since they started dating, so to hear it was actually turning into something new caught Luke off guard.  

“Um, what?”  

Ashton looked up from the screen, to his left, to his best friend’s surprised face. “Oh c’mon Lukey, you knew this was coming a mile away.” 

Ashton was beaming, and he somehow looked even happier than he normally always was. “With this tour coming up, we’ll both be working like crazy. I’m going to have to work twice as hard doing everything from the road, and he’ll be working on the new album. It’s going to be crazy but when it’s over and we have a few months, I want to lock it down. I’m going to propose the last night of his tour, because you guys will be there for the homecoming show and the afterparty.”  

He was looking at Luke with stars in his eyes, so Luke just nodded enthusiastically, glossing over the “you guys” that implied it would both he and Calum would be there. Of course it would be.  

As if snapped from his trance, Luke's smile broke free. 

“I'm so happy for you Ash, congratulations.” Luke said sincerely, wrapping the older man in a hug. 

 “I haven't even asked him yet, Luke!” He laughed softly, but Luke just shook his head. 

 “It doesn't matter, you know he's going to say yes.” 

 "Okay, yeah, I know.” 

 They laugh together and Luke hugs him tightly one more time before pulling back.

 “Merry Christmas, by the way. I refuse to answer calls on Sunday so I'm telling you in advance. Besides, Calum probably has an amazing present for you in addition to the one you already got, sugar baby.” 

 Luke rolled his eyes briefly, looking away from Ashton. He had no idea that Luke was wearing his present now, inconspicuously under his jeans. 

  
  
  
  


Back in the living room, Luke finds Calum sitting on the sofa with Mike, game controller in his hand. 

 “We figured you'd be a while.” Michael answered, crunching around a mouthful of crisps. 

 As good as it is to see Calum and Michael quickly becoming the best of pals, Luke has other plans for his night. It doesn't take much coaxing to get Calum off the sofa and walking out the front door, a promise to hang out before tour started thrown across the room. 

 It's strange to drive to a nice restaurant with Calum for their first official date. Not strange in the sense that it's their first formal date, but because it's so fancy. Luke instantly feels out of his element as Calum hands over his car keys to a Valet and gently touches his back as the hostess leads them to their reserved table. 

 It's a beautiful setting, sleek cherrywood and a candle flickering in the middle of the table. He can't drink, so Calum doesn't get a drink either, though he can't help but mention twice that the wine selection is wonderful. 

It's strange sitting across from Calum and eating fine cuisine with soft jazz playing in the background. He looks beautiful in the soft glow, and no matter how many courses they serve Luke knows he's going to stay hungry until they're home that night. 

They talk like most couples do on first dates, but it's easy to navigate away from small talk because they already know almost everything about each other. Of course, with how private Calum had been about his career, there are still some surprises.  

“So you're telling me Dom sold the line to you before you even graduated?”  

Calum nodded casually, cutting into his steak. “If it had been up to him, I would have bypassed my internship completely and started designing for the line while I was still in high school. But perhaps it was for the better I waited on that.” 

Luke thought back to the night when he met Dom, who turned out to be the original owner of Calum's company. It hadn't made it to the floor until Calum because their lead designer, and now he owned the whole thing. He thinks maybe that's what Dom has meant when he told him that he taught Calum everything he knows. But Luke had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to the story. It didn't explain why the two were such good friends still, or why he knew so much about Calum's dating life. 

“Why?” Luke pressed. 

 “I learned a lot from Dom in my college years.” Calum smirked at the memories. “Especially over the summers.” 

Luke took a sip of sparkling water, one eyebrow raised quizzically. “What was special about the summers?” 

“Paris.” Calum answered. “And the surrounding areas. So much inspiration to be found. It truly is one of the most romantic places in the world.”  

Luke tried to picture Calum just slightly younger, when he was just starting. He pictured Dom taking him to all the typical tourist spots, Both of them dressed in full suits even with the heat. He pictured Calum sitting at a café with a glass of wine beside him, sketching. 

He also couldn't help but picture what sort of “inspiration” Calum was finding. He only had a few pieces of the puzzle, but Luke always found an interesting way to arrange the pieces. 

 “So did Dom and you ever…” he trailed off, the flush of his cheeks softened in the dim candle light. “Did he inspire you, Calum?”  

Calum was cutting into his steak, and at the question he stilled. Hesitantly, Luke looked up to meet his eyes. They were glinting, an amused expression etched softly on his face. 

“Yes,” he answered simply, looking back down at his food. “But not in the way you're thinking. It was more like, he was my mentor. Learning from him though, it pushed my craft into something it could have never been if it were from who I started as.” 

Luke found things like that hard to believe, because just from what he'd seen of Calum’s work was breathtaking. 

In his eyes, Calum could do no wrong. Everything he did, everything his fingers touched was perfect. And when it was his own body that Calum touched, he felt more beautiful than he ever had with anyone else. He remembered that morning, looking into the mirror, outfitted in pure white lace. To see himself the way Calum saw him, as art. It was a serene feeling. 

“Now that you're slumming it, where do you find your inspiration?” Luke asks coyly, expecting a playful answer in response. He's leaning in, resting one shoulder on the table with his chin tucked into the palm of his hand. A smile plays on his pink lips, but Calum has those eyes on again and Luke knows that look. Whatever he's about to say, he means in completely, with his whole heart.  

“You.” 

It's one word, but it affects Luke as if they're in the back of the Audi and Calum is whispering in his ear with a hand between his legs. As if they're in his bed and Luke can feel silk sliding against his cheek. As if it's the first night again, and the simple sting of Calum's hand against his skin felt better than any of the men he’d given himself to before felt inside of him. 

It's as if in that one word, Luke is getting everything he wants. The only problem is, it leaves him selfishly craving more. Suddenly the stuffy formal setting only feels more suffocating, and his clothes are suddenly so tight. His eyes are set on Calum's, until his body shifts, and brown eyes flit down, catching a slip of white lace peeking out against his collarbone.  

He can see the moment when Calum realizes the white lace under Luke's shirt is familiar, could almost feel him thinking about how the material felt under his fingertips. When he finally does look back up at Luke, it makes Luke shift in his seat even more, because Calum looks like he wants to  _ devour _ him. There might have been a time when being wanted so badly would have scared Luke, but not now. Never with Calum, who could do anything to Luke he pleased.

He didn't count the minutes, but neither of them spoke until the waiter was approaching their table. As if sensing his arrival, Calum eased back in his chair, looking away from Luke so that his face relaxed into an expression of nonchalance.  

When the waiter began clearing their plates and asked if they were thinking of dessert, Luke quickly covered his mouth to hide the giggle that threatened to escape much too loudly. Calum just smirked and asked for the check, thanking the waiter for his service. 

Once he was gone, Luke was even more motivated to tease. He moved his leg so that it brushed against Calum’s, who looked back at him with interest. He innocently rubbed his leg against Calum's under the table, almost affectionately, until the waiter came back. Then, he used the brief moment they were talking to wiggle his foot out of his shoe. With the waiter standing there and Calum signing the bill, Luke extended his foot, covered in his favorite black knee socks, to rub against Calum's thigh. He watched Calum taking the pen between his fingers, about to leave his signature. He chose that moment to press his foot further, against a more sensitive area at the front of his dress pants. 

He watched as Calum's face stayed completely neutral, and yet his signature got rather sloppy at the end.  

Calum cleared his throat and shifted as he handed the waiter the bill, thanking him again in a calm, if only a bit deeper, voice. He moved his chair so that Luke's foot slipped, and he pouted at that. As the waiter walked away, Calum stood up, buttoning his jacket up. He reached out, a soft smile playing on his lips as he reached out a hand for Luke’s. 

“Let’s get you home, angel.” 

  
  
  
  


In the elevator, Luke didn't gasp at the feeling of being pressed against the wall. He only wrapped his arms over Calum's shoulders and reveled in the gentle way Calum cradled the back of his head so that it didn't hit the wall. Luke didn't see anyone else get onto the elevator behind them but if there were, he didn't care. 

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” He joked breathlessly when Calum moved down to his neck, and he looked around to see that they were alone. Before he could think to do anything, there was a ding and the doors were opening, and Calum quickly straightened and pulled him by the hand, face flushed, out into the parking garage. The night air sent a chill through him as they walked hand in hand towards the car. 

 Luke had the decency to wait until they were out of the city traffic to push Calum's hand off his thigh, preferring to lean over and rest his head on Calum's shoulder while his hand snuck down the front of his pants. Calum didn't try to stop him, or even say anything, as he thickened up in Luke's grip. 

 When they hit a red light, he gripped Luke's hair in his hands, looking at him briefly, heated. 

 “Don't make a mess, baby.” 

 With that, Luke easily let his head be lowered, eagerly working Calum's zipper down. Luke knew how to work Calum up, and he knew how to get him off. He’d fantasized about this before, giving him head in his expensive car, steady rock music blasting, Calum gripping tight in his hair with one hand while he drove with the other.

 Luke didn't know how Calum didn't falter or swerve once, just softly warning Luke before he thrust his hips up once as he came. Luke made sure he was good and swallowed every last drop, greedily suckling at the head until Calum gently pushed him away. 

 They made it into the parking lot of Calum's apartment complex, trading soft kisses before Calum turned off the engine. Luke didn't miss the way Calum zipped his pants back as they got out of the car. 

 It took the edge off, Calum cuddling affectionately into his side as they took the elevator again, kissing his cheek as Luke laughed and took his keys to open the front door. 

 The kisses only continued once they were inside, Calum immediately leading Luke to the bedroom and gently pushing him to lay down flat on the bed. Calum crawled over him, lifting his hand to plant a kiss over it, and on each one of his fingertips. 

Calum looked down at him with much adoration in his eyes, written all over his face. It warmed Luke, and when Calum leaned down to kiss him fully, he couldn't help but wrap himself around his body. They struggled to keep kissing as Calum slid his suit jacket off his shoulders and began unbuttoning his shirt. It was like they hadn't just come from dinner at all, and smothering each other with affection was the only thing that could cure the hunger.  

 Luke could feel himself slipping. He got lost in the touch, the taste, all of it. Every little bit that was given to him was taken in like it would be the last. 

 He could feel Calum’s hands roaming over his stomach, dipping under his shirt to feel the lace adorning his chest. Calum groaned into the crook of his neck, sitting up to pull the shirt over Luke’s head so that he could see the full image. 

 Naturally, he wasn’t disappointed. 

 “Beautiful,” He whispered the word, pressing kisses against the beads he’d so carefully sewn into the fabric. “My beautiful angel.”

 Calum’s lips and tongue traveled down his torso, the arch of Luke’s back chasing after the attention. He didn’t try to pin Luke’s hand down when he let it slip into thick dark hair. He quickly worked Luke's pants off his legs, standing back at the foot of the bed to look at him. 

 He was silent, his eyes just roaming over every inch of Luke's body, every inch that was covered in lace. It was like he was learning Luke all over again, seeing how the two pieces fit his body. Maybe he was already thinking about his next design. What else he could put on Luke, how he could dress him down? 

 Because he wasn't saying anything, Luke had to try and guess what was going through his mind. Did he like what he saw? Was he in shock, or maybe even disappointed? 

 Finally, he spoke again. 

 “Turn over, get on your knees” 

 Luke did as he was told, rolling over on the bed and peeking curiously over his shoulder. He watched as Calum looked at the blue bow sitting on top of the swell of his ass. He slowly reached out to simply run his fingers over the blue silk, but even that had Luke shivering. 

 “Calum, please say something.” Luke begged quietly. He couldn't read on his face what he was thinking. Calum had called him beautiful plenty of times, but he'd never had this reaction along with it. 

 Instead of calming Luke's fears with words, he went straight into action. Before Luke could blink, Calum was kneeling behind him on the bed and pushing the delicate lace to the side, revealing what little it covered. Then, before Luke could even shy away from being so exposed, he felt the hot slide of Calum's tongue. 

 He whined, loudly, but it didn't deter Calum in the slightest. 

 Calum knew how to make Luke fall apart, and it only took minutes the first time. 

 When he flipped Luke back over onto his back and pulled his favorite white blindfold out from under Luke's pillow, where he had left it, he knew they were in for a long night. 

  
  


 

By mid-afternoon the next morning, Luke was glad they’d agreed that they weren’t the “going out” type of couple. Maybe going to the movies or the mall was fine for some people, but when Luke found himself staring at his own reflection in the mirror, he figured there was nowhere he would rather have been. He was sweating, panting, his mouth permanently dropped in an oval shape, soft moans flowing from it. If he looked down, he would see where Calum was holding his thigh up with one hand, pinning his hand to the wall with the other. And if he looked down even further, he would see the black lace panties he’d just had on lying carelessly on the floor.

 Maybe flowers or cards were nice, but Luke couldn’t help but feel even more special with red rope tying his wrists behind his back, his pleas and begging muffled into the pillow, Calum running the strips of a flogger teasingly up the backs of his thighs.

 Time after time, when he was a useless mess at the end of everything, Calum would take care of him. They weren’t so lost in their lust for each other that they forgot to eat, or take a leisurely bubble bath together, or even indulge in a few hours of well-earned trash movies cuddled up on the sofa. Of course, like any common couple, they went another round before bed, quiet and gentle. Although, maybe the gag in Luke’s mouth had something to do with the unusual quiet. 

By midnight, Luke was lying on his stomach with his nose tucked into the soft collar of one of Calum’s t-shirts. A soothing hand ran through his shower-damp hair and down the soft curve of his back. He smelled like bath oil and peach lotion, soft from the tip of his nose to the tops of his knee socks. 

 “I love you.” He whispered sleepily, muffled against the fabric but dripping in sincerity nonetheless. He’d surely said it enough over the course of the day, in desperate whines and pleading moans, but now the words were softer and more pure. 

 Calum lifted a corner of his mouth in a half- smile, leaning in just slightly from where he lay beside him to kiss his forehead. “I love you too, my beautiful boy.” 

 Luke fell asleep to Calum petting him, praising him. 

 He woke in the middle of the night with a fright, realizing he never had said that particular set of words. He tried to remember if he'd said them in the heat of the moment, or if it had been when they were recovering. It seemed so significant all of a sudden, so much so that he woke Calum up with his worrying. 

 “Shh, Luke.” He comforted gently, spooned behind him and voice rough with sleep. “I meant it and I still mean it. I’m more deeply in love with you than I've ever been with another person. Or don't you know that already, angel?” 

 He kissed Luke's head, holding him tight. 

 “Yeah,” Luke nodded softly, eased and drifting back into sleep. “I already knew.”

  
  
  
  
  


  
The next morning was Christmas morning, and Luke woke up to exactly what he had wished for. It wasn’t the presents wrapped and sitting on the coffee table under a tiny black LED tree, and it wasn’t the smell of freshly brewed coffee waiting on his side of the bed (or at least, the side he’d claimed for the past few months). Rather, it was Calum. Of course it was Calum, waking him with a gentle brush of his thumb against his cheek and kisses over each of his eyes. His lashes fluttered open, and no sooner did he feel arms wrapping securely around his waist. Luke got the feeling that he first had when he was with Calum. It wasn’t something that had frightened him, to feel warm, to feel at home. 

 That’s why when Calum spoke, the scent of sweet milky coffee lingering, Luke had to think twice to make sure he hadn’t dreamed it. 

 “Stay with me,” He started, exhaling as he pulled Luke to his chest. “Live with me, here. Move in with me.” 

 Luke didn’t need a sip of his own cup to wake up at those words. He didn’t show it, just nuzzling into Calum’s neck. Even with his heart pounding and a hundred questions running through his mind, it seemed like the easiest answer he ever had. He didn't have one doubt, and as the seconds passed, he questioned himself less. 

 Life was moving, Luke could feel it happening. His only choice was to hit the ground running. 

 Ashton was his life mate, his platonic person, and the best brother he had. But he was getting married sooner rather than later, and Luke couldn't live with him forever. If Luke hadn't met Calum, this inevitable future would be terrifying, because he'd be facing it alone. But Calum was there, had been there from day one. He was always so patient, so caring. Luke didn't need Calum to take care of him, he wasn't helpless, but wanting him to was a completely different matter. 

 If Luke had to chose between facing the future alone or facing it with Calum by his side helping him be the best version of himself, the answer was easy, regardless of how irrational it seemed. 

 The tides were pushing him forward, and he was ready to let the waves crash over him and take him where they may. 

 “Okay.” 

 Calum cradled his face, wordlessly pulling him up for a kiss. He was quick to jump in with the reassurances, as if he could sense that Luke was expelling every doubt from his mind. It was true, Luke wasn’t being rational. It was crazy, and maybe he was still in a cloud envisioning illusions of grandeur. Only, everything he dreamed of was real, and it was manifesting in the man who was holding him.

 “Dom would drive you every morning if you still wanted to go to campus during the Fall. But I was thinking, maybe this Summer,” He was interrupted by a kiss, and it only made him smile. “This summer, you could come to Paris with me. We could go to Paris and you could walk in the show if you wanted to -” 

 Luke rolled on top of him, kissing his cheeks and his jaw as he rambled on, his smile growing with each peck. “Yes, _oui_ , all of it. All of it, it’s yours.”

 If he was in a cloud, he didn’t ever want to come down from it. Their kisses tasted like the morning, like _them_. Luke could feel his heart beating, electricity slipping underneath his skin as Calum touched him.

 It was so easy to say yes, to give everything he had to Calum. He was young, he was in love, and the road ahead of him was lined with rose petals and red rope. It certainly wasn’t typical, and Luke preferred it that way. Having someone who knew how to touch him, how to treat him, how to _love_ him, it was invaluable. 

 Luke was long done with boys, surely, but he wasn’t done with men. One man, in particular.

 Wherever it took him, from San Francisco to Paris to wherever was next, it didn’t matter. There would always be more to his story, and it was bound to be only more lush and wonderful with Calum in it. 

 Love wasn’t done with him, and looking at Calum’s shining eyes looking back at him, he didn’t think it was done with him either. Not by a long shot. 

 “Well then, with that response, I think this is an appropriate time for you to check the tree for your first gift.” 

 It took copious happy kisses and a few sips of coffee along the way to get Luke out of the bed, _their_ bed, and walking into the living room. 

 There, hanging on a small chain between the sparkling lights hung on the tree, was the symbol of his new chapter, just a tiny ray of hope for things to come. 

 Luke held in his hands a freshly pressed silver house key, with the word _angel_ engraved into its surface.

 Smiling, and without fear of the future, Luke held his first gift safely in his fist and pulled Calum close for a soft kiss. 

 When Luke had first sought out Calum, he'd said they seemed to be looking for the same things. At the time, he'd said it without even thinking about it, it just felt right. He hadn't known exactly what it was he was looking for in the first place. 

 Now he knew, pure and clear as day to see. With one hand gripping the key and the other cradling Calum's cheek in his hand, Luke's heart held on to what he knew to be true. 

 

All along, he was looking for that moment.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you again for everyone who commented and showed this fic love. I won't get into (you can read my tumblr post) but writing this story meant a lot to me personally and any encouragement i got meant literally the world so thank you all and i love you x

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed, I started planning and writing this out in my head just for myself, but I decided to put it out there. At least a few people like this verse as much as i like writing it. Not to get all sappy, but writing this is helping me through a breakup, and I get to live vicariously through baby!Luke haha. Anyways, I'm not sure how often i'll update it, hopefully it will just come naturally as I work on other things as well (I have a few things on my list!)
> 
> As for this, all comments are appreciated but I would really love to see ideas on where this can go, any hints you picked up on, and anything you want to see in future chapters (different situations/kinks - also don't worry, kink negotiation and discussion of consent will happen). I would love to incorporate some of your ideas if I can!


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